


How Little You Know

by Sleepwalker7



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - No Powers, Angst, Bullying, F/F, Hurt/Comfort, SuperCorp, mentions of drug and alcohol abuse, some violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-07
Updated: 2018-08-07
Packaged: 2019-06-23 10:48:58
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 12
Words: 36,257
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15604647
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sleepwalker7/pseuds/Sleepwalker7
Summary: High School AU. Lena is popular. Kara is far from it. Lena hates how her boyfriend torments Kara on a daily basis, yet doesn’t do anything about it. Kara is shy and withdrawn, Lena is actually very lonely. What happens when they get paired up to work on a project together? Will Lena discover the secret that Kara has been hiding?





	1. Just Kara

How Little You Know

Chapter 1

"Lena! Get up!" My bedroom door flies open and a few seconds later my mom is standing in my line of sight, her hands on her hips. "Come on! You don't want to be late on your first day, do you?"

Humming a song that sounds way too cheery to my ears, she opens the curtains and a sea of light floods inside. I groan and hide my face in my hands; it is way too early for this.

The warm sheets lying comfortably on top of me are pulled away abruptly and a moment later I hear my bedroom door fall shut again. I mumble some words of protest as I slowly drag myself out of bed with a loud sigh.

Still half asleep, I put together an outfit before making my way into the bathroom to freshen up.

"Lena! Vince is waiting for you outside!"

While I finish brushing my hair, I rush to the window and a smile lights up my face when I see a red Mustang parked in front of our house with the one and only Vince Walker sitting behind the wheel.

I grab my schoolbag and sling it over my shoulder before hurrying down the stairs where my mom is already waiting for me, looking at me in surprise.

"Don't you need food?" She asks with a frown, holding up my lunch which I had almost forgotten. I smile sheepishly and take it from her.

"Bye! See you later." I call out before I close the door behind me and look up to see Vince staring right at me with a grin on his face.

"Hi sexy." He greets me as I slide into the passenger's seat, leaning over to press a kiss to my lips.

"Are you ready?" I ask after pulling away, and he smiles while brushing his hand through his hair.

"Always." He winks at me, and I laugh softly as he starts the engine and begins to drive to school where the boredom can start once again.

Within five minutes, we're approaching National High, and a sigh escapes my mouth when I realize that this is officially the end of summer.

"Look over there." Vince says with a mocking sort of laugh, and I know who he's referring to without having to look.

A tall, slim girl with long blonde hair that's pulled back into a ponytail steps out of the school bus. She’s wearing a cardigan and there’s a pair of glasses perched on her nose, her gaze fixed on her feet. 

I let out another sigh, already aware of what is about to happen.

"Hey Danvers!" Kara looks up with a startled expression, and when she sees that Vince was the one to call out for her, all the blood seems to leave her face and she suddenly looks as white as a ghost. "How was your summer? Went shopping with your grandmother or are you just borrowing your clothes from her?”

Vince laughs loudly as we drive past Kara, and I slump further down in my seat, trying to hide. I hate this type of 'macho behavior' that Vince shows sometimes. 

When I don't hear Kara reply, I look at her and see her hurrying into the school building. I try to ignore the heavy feeling in my heart as Vince pulls into the parking lot.

I've shared some classes with Kara and while I know her by name and face, I don't know her personally at all.

Kara Danvers; the girl who has been living across the street from me for years, but never exchanged one word with me. I often see her in the hallways, in some classes or sometimes even in the morning when she leaves her house, but that's it. We've never had a conversation.

But still, somewhere deep inside, I feel sad for her. When she's being teased, when she misses the school bus, or when I see her eating lunch by herself somewhere, it makes me feel guilty.

-

"Good morning, everyone!" A cheery as ever Mr. Pierce walks into the classroom, placing his briefcase on his desk.

"Good morning." Half of the students mumble back in unison and it's easy to hear that not everyone has woken from their summer daze yet.

"When's our next vacation?" Sam Aries, my best friend, groans loudly as she drops her head on her desk dramatically, causing everyone to laugh, including our teacher.

"You go ahead and take a nap while the rest of us take a look at page 4. The industrialization of the USA!" He says enthusiastically with a huge grin on his face as groans and protests fill the room.

"Not this subject again! We've already talked about this!"

"Sir please! This is pure torture!"

"I'm not even awake yet!"

"Can't we watch a movie?"

Different suggestions and remarks are thrown around, and Sam takes the opportunity to lean towards me.  
"How was your summer? What did you do while I was gone?"

I think about how boring it was... how lonely. My parents barely had time for me, always away for business.

"It was great." I lie, forcing a smile on my face. “And you? How was your trip?"

Sam’s eyes light up and she begins rambling about her boyfriend Nick. "It was amazing. He even took me out for a picnic. Can you believe it? That's the most romantic thing he's ever done."

She spends the rest of class updating me on everything, and when we leave the classroom, she finally seems done talking.

"So I guess you had a good time?" I joke, and Sam nods dreamily, probably already thinking about Nick again.

We walk into the hallway and when I've almost reached my locker, I see Vince and his 'gang' standing there, laughing at some of the younger students.

"Hey, is that really necessary?" I ask when I notice Vince acting tough again, and he immediately looks up, his eyes shifting in my direction.

"Somebody's gotta show them who's in charge here." He shrugs as he wraps his arms around my waist and pulls me into a slightly rough kiss.

I kiss him back and close my eyes in an attempt to enjoy it more but it doesn't really work as I hear his friends catcalling us behind me. I pull away and squeeze past him to reach my locker, and it doesn't take long before I feel him pinch and slap my butt.

Well, that was a bit unnecessary...

I decide to ignore him and my discomfort because well, this is just who Vince is, and focus on finding the right books in my locker.

"Oh if it isn't good old Kara!"

I recognize Mike’s voice easily, as he's Vince’s best friend, and again, I already know what's coming.

I quickly grab my books and close my locker before turning to look at the large crowd that has already formed around Kara. Groaning inwardly, I lean against my locker while Sam moves to stand next to me, her face blank.

The guys are all standing around Kara and some are shoving her a bit while others throw some stupid remarks at her; one of those people being Vince.

"What's so funny about this?" I grumble as I walk away from my locker and away from Vince. I've tried to stop him before but he never listens to me, so I don't bother anymore because I can't change anything anyway. Vince will never stop because bullies can't stop; there's no 'off' button on them, even though it would be great if there was.

"Since when do you care about Danvers?” Sam asks, raising her eyebrows at me.

"I don't but that doesn't mean I have to be okay with Vince’s behavior." I say angrily.

"I know but it's just Kara. I'm sure some comments here and there aren't going to hurt her."

I nod and force myself to calm down. Maybe Sam’s right. Maybe I shouldn't care. I mean, it's just Kara...


	2. Take Me Home

Chapter 2

"How was your day?" My mom is already busy in the kitchen when I come home from school and I tiredly lower myself into one of the high chairs at the counter.

"Okay, I guess."

My mom nods and continues to stir the food. I get up and walk over to her to peek into the pan, smiling when I see it's pasta.

"Why are we having dinner so early?" I ask, and my mom adds some olive oil to the sauce before responding.

"We're not having dinner together tonight. I have to work and your dad has a meeting, so you'll be on your own. You'll be okay, I assume?"

Oh. Of course.

I nod and pick up my bag from where I left it before making my way to my bedroom.

I sit down on my bed and glance around my huge room that, to be honest, has pretty much everything. From a kingsize bed to a bathroom, a flatscreen, a desk with an iMac... Everything. But the only reason why I have all these things is because all my parents ever do is work. They’ve started buying more things for me now that Lex moved out. I think they feel guilty for me being by myself so much.

I'm home alone a lot. Especially on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays, and then there are the days when my mom gets called up for emergencies. I have Sam and Vince but to be honest, I still feel lonely. It’s like I can’t truly be myself with them.

I look at my alarm clock and see that it's only 4.30, way too early to eat. I get up and walk over to the window, staring at the street and the houses. My eyes linger on the one across the street. The curtains are open, making it easy for me to look inside.

In the living room I see a blonde woman calmly sitting on the couch, watching TV, and I watch the scene for a moment. It's Kara’s mother, I believe, and although she always says 'hi' to me when she sees me, I have a feeling that she doesn't like me very much, almost as if she knows me. 

I don’t see her dad anywhere and I know that Alex went off to college a couple of years ago. The bullying reached an ultimate high now that she isn’t there to protect Kara anymore. I wonder if she even knows how bad it is now. 

My eyes move higher and I see Kara sitting in her room, doing her homework. I smile softly to myself when I notice how quickly she's filling in the answers.

-

"Go Nick!”

I'm fairly certain that Sam’s yelling can be heard all over town but she doesn't seem bothered by the fact that everyone's staring at her. I laugh at her antics before focusing on the guys playing soccer in front of us again.

Suddenly, Vince scores and his teammates huddle up on him, as if they just won the world cup.

"Go Vince!" I imitate Sam as I jump and cheer exaggeratedly, causing Sam to crack up.

Vince gives me a confident grin and suddenly rips his shirt off before strutting over to me. They are really taking this game too seriously.

"Are you proud of me?" He whispers against my lips as his arms glide around my middle, pulling me against him. 

"Well, you haven't quite reached Messi's level yet..." I tease and he chuckles before pecking me on the lips.

"Tonight, I'll pick you up at 8 and I'll take you out for a romantic dinner, okay?" He suggests as he pulls me even closer.

"That sounds nice." I say, feeling his hands slip into my back pockets. I fight the urge to cringe. What’s wrong with me? He’s my boyfriend. I’m supposed to enjoy his touches.

"Vince! Are we playing or what?" One of his friends calls out, and I quickly pull away from him.

"Go on before you lose.” I urge him on.

Once they're playing again, Sam turns to me with a smile and twinkling eyes. "So, things are going well between you and Vince, aren't they?"

I shrug. It seems like things are indeed going well. I'm dating one of the hottest guys in school, I mean, what else can I wish for, right? But still, some thing feels off.

"Yeah, they are." I say casually, feeling the blood rush to my cheeks.

"Who knows, maybe tonight's the night..." Sam whispers to me, wiggling her eyebrows suggestively, and I jerk away from her in shock.

"What?" I stammer, staring at her questioningly.

"I said, maybe tonight's the night." Sam says again, and it's obvious that she's referring to sex.

"I don't know. He's wanted it for a while now but I don't know if I'm ready." I tell her honestly, and Sam chuckles, making me feel embarrassed.

"Girl, you're almost 18 and last time we talked about this, you seemed more than ready. What's changed?"

She looks at me expectantly and I can't do anything besides laugh nervously. What if tonight really is the night? Am I really ready for this? I thought I was, but now I'm not so sure anymore.

-

After some more boring hours at school, I finally arrive home. When I walk inside nobody's there. 

What a surprise.

With a growling stomach I dive into the kitchen where I find nothing to eat but an apple. Well, it's better than nothing.

After finishing my snack, I make my way up to my room. Since I've already finished all my homework, I decide to take a long bath, and by the time I get out, I see that it's already 7.30. My long bath was literally a long bath.

Panicking slightly, I quickly blow dry my hair, get dressed, and do my make-up routine in 5 minutes.

Loud honking makes me jump and when I glance outside, I see Vince’s Mustang. With a deep breath, I grab my purse and put some items in it, pausing when I see the condoms I keep in my nightstand. Should I bring them or not?

I bite my lip in hesitation. My mom gave them to me when I first started dating Vince and for some reason, I feel embarrassed just looking at them. What if my mom notices that there's one missing? It wouldn't surprise me if she checks!

My thoughts are interrupted by more honking and after another moment of hesitation, I put the condoms in my purse before hurrying downstairs.

-

"Do you know what you're getting yet?" Vince asks, and I roll my eyes as I stare at the menu below the large, yellow 'M'.

"Gosh, I don't know! There's so much choice!" I reply sarcastically, and Vince nods before biting his lip thoughtfully, not catching on to my sarcasm.

"I'll have a Happy Meal with chicken nuggets and a strawberry milkshake." I say dryly before turning around to look for a place to sit.

McDonald's. How romantic. I sigh and glance around, not seeing any other couples. Probably because there aren't a lot of people who think 'Hey, let's have a romantic date at McDonald's'.

It doesn't take long for Vince to appear with a tray of food and it seems like he ordered for an entire army.

"There you go." He hands me my Happy Meal and my milkshake, to which I mumble a "thank you".

I open my Happy Meal and see that there's a cheeseburger inside of it. Great. I put the cheeseburger aside and take a sip of my milkshake. Banana. Of course. Does he ever listen to me?

"Is it good, babe?" Vince asks, seeming proud of himself, and I simply nod as I stuff a fry into my mouth.

-

Less than 20 minutes later, we're standing outside again, even though I was fine with staying longer. But Vince rushed me, seeming determined to leave.

Not wanting to piss him off, I just do what he wants and follow him to his car. I barely have time to get in before he's driving off. Seriously, he hasn't said anything romantic to me all night and now this... What's his problem?

I stay silent and stare out the window, ready to go home.

Suddenly, the car stops and when I look around, I see that we're at an abandoned parking space, somewhere near the woods.

I look at Vince in surprise but he just smiles at me before suddenly reaching out to place his hands on my boobs while leaning in to kiss me roughly, which isn't pleasant for me at all.

I grab his arms and pull him off me with all the strength I posses. What kind of action is this?

"What are you doing?" I exclaim, but Vince’s hands begin wandering over my body again as he tries to pull me in closer.

"I know you want this too, Lena. If you try to fight your desire, it only gets worse... Just give in to it..." He begins to place wet kisses on my neck and jawline before I feel his tongue against my lips.

I push him off me again and wipe my mouth with the back of my hand.

"Take me home." I hiss, crossing my arms over my chest protectively as Vince stares at me in shock.

"What?" He utters, and I can register some anger in his voice. I know that it's a bad idea to piss him off but I can't bring myself to care. I just want to go home, away from this jerk.

"Take me home! Right now!"

Vince doesn't look at me the whole drive home and we don't say anything either. I stonily stare out the window and try to keep my tears at bay, biting my lip. 

As soon as Vince pulls up in front of my house, I jump out of the car and slam the door behind me. I wait until I hear him drive away before I allow my tears to fall. I lower myself on the curb and bury my face in my hands as I cry silently. The school year has only just begun and I'm already fighting with Vince.

"Are you okay?" A soft voice pulls me from my thoughts. I remove my hands from my face and find myself staring right into the face of a dog.

I frown and stare at the blonde Labrador for a moment before a cough makes me look up to its owner. Kara is staring at me and somehow the concern in her eyes just makes me feel worse. I quickly pull myself to my feet.

"I'm fine." I snap, wiping my tears away before turning around and fleeing inside my empty house. Why did Kara care?

Still crying, I run into my room where I collapse onto my bed. I hear some shuffling outside and when I glance out of the window, I see that Kara is still standing there with her dog, staring at the ground.

I swallow as guilt settles in my stomach but I can't look away from Kara as she rubs her eyes before walking away with slumped shoulders, because once again someone had to snap at her when she was just being nice.

God, I hate myself.


	3. Paired Up

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for your comments

Chapter 3

I loudly slam my locker shut and close my bag before slinging it over my shoulder and walking down the hallway.

"Lena, wait up!" Sam calls out and I reluctantly slow down my pace so that she can catch up with me. Of course I already know what she wants to talk about. "Nick told me that you rejected Vince. Why?"

She tilts her head to emphasize her confusion, and I sigh and roll my eyes.

"Of course Nick only told you Vince’s side of the story? Nothing about how Vince tried to come on to me?" It's hard for me not to raise my voice as I think back to the whole situation.

"Wait what? I thought you wanted this too."

"I want it to be perfect! I don't want a quickie in his car!" I say angrily, and Sam’s expression softens.

"I get it. I'm sorry, Lena.”

I nod but stay silent as we walk past Vince and Mike. They don't even look at me but I don't care. Sam and I part ways at the end of the hallway and I walk to Drama class.

The bell has already rang and by the time I walk into the classroom, almost all seats are taken.

"Ah! Ms. Luthor!" Ms. Grant says loudly and exaggeratedly. She acts so over the top sometimes that I truly wonder if it's an act. Acting is her area of expertise, after all.

"Sorry for being late." I say but luckily she waves it off. I glance around the room, looking for a seat, but Ms. Grant beats me to it.

"There's a seat in the back, Lena. Next to Kara."

Internally I want to punch myself but I suck it up and walk in Kara’s direction. I wish I hadn't been so mean to her last night because now I'm so ashamed of myself.

"Can I sit here?"

Kara’s attention is directed at her notebook where she’s scribbling away, and she looks up, startled, when she hears my voice. She nods once and quickly removes her bag from the seat next to her.

I put my own bag next to the desk and sit down, throwing a glance at Kara’s notebook, but before I can see anything, she has already put her book on top of it. It's clear that she doesn't want me to see it.

The guilt inside of me grows a little and I try to focus on class but I can't.

"I'm sorry about last night. I didn't mean it like that. I just didn't feel very well." I say without thinking when my guilt finally gets the best of me, and Kara is silent for a moment before she nods and fiddles with her glasses.

"It's okay. You seemed pretty upset." She doesn't look at me directly as she speaks and then quickly averts her gaze, staring at her book again. I can't blame her. I wouldn't want to talk to someone who treats me just like the rest, either.

"Guys, can I have your attention? I want to explain the assignment we'll be working on during the next few weeks." Ms. Grant announces. "To start off this year in a fun way, I came up with something great. In pairs of two, you're going to write a play and I will select the best, most original one which will be used for the Christmas show.”

Everyone immediately begins to chat excitedly and I have to admit that I'm feeling pretty excited myself. This is better than all the boring assignments from my other classes.

"So go on and pair up. I want you to show me your ideas next class."

I look around and see how everyone begins to form pairs. There's no one in this class that I'm friends with. As Vince would say, I'm 'too popular for these people'. Sam doesn't get why I chose this class, either, as it's not exactly a 'cool' class and now I'm stuck with 'poets and goths', which isn't even true.

Drama class feels like freedom to me, like I'm escaping all stress for a little while.

Ms. Grant seems to have noticed that I don't have a partner yet because she walks up to me with a warm smile.

"Lena, why don't you work with Kara? I think you would make a great team.” She walks away without waiting for a reply, leaving me behind slightly stunned.

I look at Kara who seems at a loss for words as well, which isn't surprising considering I'm dating the guy who has tormented her for years and I've always been too much of a coward to stand up for her. I'm sure she also knows that things probably won't change anytime soon, despite how much I want them to.

"You can say so if you don't want to work with me." She says softly, and guilt washes over me all over again. I couldn't possibly tell her 'no' like a heartless bitch, could I?

"No, I want to." I reply with a smile.

The bell rings and I quickly grab my bag before practically sprinting out of the classroom and towards my locker, not wanting to be late again.

"Lena?" Someone calls out my name and I recognize the voice all too well.

I turn around and see Kara standing in front of me. She fidgets with her hands a bit and briefly looks me in the eyes.

"We have to work on the play... After school?" She stammers, and I nod immediately. "At my house?"

I nod again and tell her that it's fine before excusing myself to go to my next class. Great. What would Vince and his friends say if they found out about this?

-

The bell rings, signaling the end of the day, and, with my headphones on, I walk to my locker to get my things. I sigh when I notice Vince leaning against it. This the last thing I want right now.

I walk up to him and when he sees me, he steps aside so I can open my locker.

"Lena, can we please talk?" He lifts my headphones off my head and presses his lips against my ear as his hand slides down to my ass.

"Do you want to talk or do you want to assault me?" I bite back as I grab my jacket and slam my locker shut, so hard that even Vince jumps.

"Lena! I thought you wanted it just as bad! Come on, babe, I'm sorry..." He whispers the last part in a sad voice, and I feel myself weaken for a moment.

"I have to go." I turn away from him but he won't let me go so easily.

"Where are you going?" He asks and for a few seconds, his eyes stare directly into mine as he traps me against my locker.

"I have to work on a project. I'll see you tomorrow." I don't add that I'm working on this project with Kara because he would never let me go then, although it seems difficult for him now, too.

"Okay." He finally gives in and I quickly squirm past him, hurrying away from him. Sometimes I really wonder what I see in him.

Vince and I have been dating since last year and it's because of him that I gained popularity. Although, Sam played a big role in it too. When I became friends with her, she brought me to parties and introduced me to some jocks, including Vince.

All those memories go through me as I walk home and when I turn into my street, I sigh loudly because it kind of feels like I don't know Vince at all.

Instead of walking to my own house, I walk to Kara’s and only hesitate for a moment before knocking on the door. It doesn't take long for Kara’s mom to appear and she looks at me intently for a moment before giving me a smile that doesn't seem quite genuine.

"Hello Lena." She says and lets me in. “Kara is upstairs. First door on your right."

I nod and mumble a "thank you" before heading up the stairs. I turn to the door on my right and knock softly, but nobody responds. 

Carefully, I place my hand on the doorknob and open the door.

Kara is hunched over her desk, her nose almost touching the paper as she's furiously scribbling something in a notebook. I try to enter the room as quietly as possible but of course the door falls shut behind me and Kara immediately covers her notebook, as if it's a reflex.

She looks up with wide eyes and they seem to widen even more when she sees me.

"Hi Kara." I smile as warmly as I can. “Your mom let me in.”

“She’s not actually my...”

“What?” I frown when she trails off.

“Nevermind.” She says awkwardly as I sit down on the bed, and for a moment it's silent between us. "Do you maybe want something to drink?"

I nod and Kara quickly exits the room, almost as if she's afraid of me. I take the chance to look around and the room is entirely different than from what I expected. Well, I don’t know what I was expecting, really.

My eyes land on the desk and I can't stop my curiosity. I stand up and begin to look through the stacks of notebooks that have names of different people on them.

When I see Vince’s name, I feel my heart drop to my stomach. I should have known that he would force Kara to do his homework.

I hear the stairs creak so I quickly put the notebooks back in place and sit down on the bed again. 

Kara walks in with two glasses of soda and I smile as she hands one to me.

"Thanks." I say, but Kara doesn't look at me and shuffles to her desk, as if she doesn't want to be too close to me. I sigh but don't say anything about it. "So, let's get started."

I grab a chair from the corner of the room and sit next to Kara, but she doesn't seem comfortable, nervously adjusting the collar of her cardigan.

"I was thinking..." I begin softly, and Kara quickly grabs her laptop to take notes. "Maybe it can be about a man and a woman in an arranged marriage?" Kara nods and types it down but I don't really get a reaction from her. "And what if one of the two is a prince or a princess from a different country?“

Kara nods again as her fingers fly over the keyboard, but just like before, she doesn't given me a reaction and I'm beginning to think that she doesn't like the idea.

"Kara?" For the first time since I've been there she looks at me but I can still see the reluctance in her eyes, even if it has lessened a bit. "Do you even like the idea?"

I lean closer to her but when I see the discomfort on her face, I pull back.

"Yeah, but..." She shifts her eyes away from mine and directs them to her hands.

"But what?" I ask carefully, and Kara takes a deep breath before responding.

"Hasn't this idea been used before? It doesn't seem very... original."

I can tell that she's choosing her words carefully and I don't like it. Just because I'm friends with people who tease her constantly, doesn't mean I will too. But I get her. I would also be doubtful if I was in her place.

"You're right but maybe we can make it more original? Every year, the Christmas play sucks. It's boring and far from original but apparently people like that so why shouldn't we use that to our advantage?" I place my hand on Kara’s shoulder to try to reassure her but it has the opposite effect. It looks like she thought I was going to attack her.

I feel for her. I really do. I can imagine that it's hard for her to trust people. Whenever someone talks to her, she probably thinks that they pity her or that they're up to something.

I remove my hand and Kara tries to compose herself by adjusting her glasses before turning to her laptop again, seemingly content to avoid all contact with me.

I sigh and just as I'm about to tell her that she doesn't have to be afraid of me, my phone rings.

Kara and I both jump, and I quickly rummage through my bag to find my phone. When I see that it's my mom who's calling, I quickly pick up.

"Yeah mom?" I say somewhat urgently and my mom laughs.

"Are you fooling around with Vince?" She jokes and I roll my eyes. She doesn't know anything about what happened. Not surprising since she's never home.

"No I'm not with Vince. I'm at a friend's house to work on a project." I say, and I see Kara’s eyes widen at the word 'friend'. I didn't say it to make her feel better, it just came out, but maybe now I can show her that I'm not going to treat her like the others.

"Oh, did you forget about dinner tonight? With your dad's colleagues?"

Shit.

"Of course I haven't. How late was I supposed to be there again?" I try to sound casual but my mom is already sighing.

"Around 7. Don’t be late, Lena.”

I glance at the time on Kara’s laptop and see that it's almost 6. "Okay, no problem." I lie before quickly ending the call and looking at Kara regretfully. "I have to go. Dinner with people from my dad's work."

I feel bad because Kara probably thinks that I'm giving her a fake excuse.

"Oh okay..." She closes her laptop and gets up, me following her example.

She walks me to the front door and I give her one last smile before walking outside. I hesitate for a brief moment but then turn back towards her. "Do you want to meet up again tomorrow? After school? My place?"

Kara nods but doesn't say anything, so I cross the street to my own house. When I reach my bedroom, I look out the window and my eyes are met with a familiar sight.

Kara is hunched over her desk in her room, working on other people's homework. I release a sigh as I watch her for a moment. There's nothing wrong with her. She's nice and kind of... cute, but apparently it'll take more for me to show her that that's what I genuinely think of her.

I turn to my closet and take out a dress, ready to prepare myself for this dinner thing that I'm not looking forward to at all. Dinner where my dad's boss will also be, and he will probably bring his son: Vince.


	4. After Rain

Chapter 4

"Lena, are you ready?" I recognize my dad's voice from the bottom of the stairs and I also hear the clicking of my mom's heels.

I apply some lipstick before checking myself in the mirror one last time and quickly going downstairs where my parents are waiting, both dressed in equally fancy outfits.

"You look beautiful, dear." My mom smiles at me, and my dad shows his agreement by nodding.

We leave the house and get into my dad's Mercedes. We reach the city center after a less than 15 minute long drive and my dad parks in front of what looks like an expensive restaurant. I get out of the car feeling slightly anxious, knowing that I will have to face Vince which is the last thing I want.

My parents lead the way, hand in hand, and I follow behind them slowly. I've been to expensive restaurants before but I always feel a bit uncomfortable because it's like everyone's watching and judging you. 

The doors are held open for us and I smile politely at the staff, receiving some forced smiles in return. The fake friendliness is another thing that I can't stand.

"Ah there you are! I'm so glad you could make it." Paul, my dad's boss and Vince’s father, walks up to us and gives my dad a handshake and my mom two kisses on the cheek.

"I see you brought Lena too!" He says when he sees me before kissing me on the cheek as well. 

When he pulls away from me, my gaze lands on the guy behind him, dressed in a suit. Vince greets my parents while I greet everyone else and when I'm done, he surprises me by giving me a hug. I guess he hasn't told his parents about what happened between us.

I hug him back because I haven't told my parents anything either, and within seconds I feel his warm lips against mine. Not wanting to make a scene, I go along with it, but when we part I make sure to send him a glare.

We sit down at the table and I can feel my parents looking at me proudly. We really are the 'it' couple, I suppose, and while they seem satisfied with that, I'm not sure how to feel because after yesterday and today, I'm having my doubts.

It doesn't take long before I feel Vince’s hand on top of mine and I really wish he wouldn’t touch me. It's like my entire perception of him has changed since yesterday, but still I let myself get carried away because part of me still wants to like him. Part of me is scared of what might happen if I tell him off for good.

-

The main course has just been cleared off the table when school suddenly becomes topic of conversation, and as usual, my parents begin bragging about how well I'm doing.

"Lena only gets A's and B's." My dad says proudly and my mom nods in agreement before taking a sip of her wine.

"She almost forgot about dinner because she was working on a project for school." She adds, a bit tipsy, as she looks at me. "Who were you with anyway?"

I swallow nervously. What am I supposed to say? Vince isn't going to like this.

"Kara Danvers." I say softly, and while my parents stare at me, Vince chokes on his water.

"That nerd?" He gets out mockingly, and I can tell he's not happy.

"Ah the youngest Danvers girl. I heard from Vince that the poor girl spends all her time cooped up in her home studying." Paul tells us and Vince nods while my parents also seem to agree.

"She lives across the street from us. She seems like such a sweet girl." My mom says and I sigh in relief because I don't know how I would've reacted to more mean comments about Kara. "Her mother told me that she gets teased sometimes, but I thought that doesn't happen anymore now?"

My mom, who is pretty drunk by now and who seems to think that bullying only happened in the Middle Ages, takes another sip of her wine.

"Well, I'm not surprised. The only reason she gets teased is because she spends all her time with her books and doesn't have any friends. She just needs to interact with people more but of course that's not possible if she never leaves her house." My dad says, laughing at his own words, but I don't find it very funny at all.

Before I became part of Sam’s group, I barely had friends too and my dad knew how much I struggled with it so why was he making comments like this?

"Well, if people force you to do their homework..." I mumble to myself, but Vince hears me.

"And why do you suddenly care about her?" He asks me, clearly agitated, as he wraps his arm around my waist possessively.

"I don't! I just think it's ridiculous that you guys treat her like dirt!" I reply while our parents begin to talk about American politics, no longer interested in the conversation.

Vince, however, shrugs and gives me a charming smile. "Well, that's what she is."

He presses a kiss to my temple and I quickly take a sip of my water, trying to avoid him as much as I can.

-

The loud shrill of my alarm clock wakes me up and I sit up in bed with a loud groan. I tiredly rub my eyes and sit there for a moment, staring blankly, before finally dragging myself out of bed. I'm really not looking forward to school today.

Once I'm finished getting ready, I step outside and hesitate for a moment, contemplating if I should walk to school or take the bus. Before I can make up my mind, I hear honking behind me and when I turn around, Vince’s Mustang pulls up beside me. Vince gestures for me to get in and stupidly enough, I do as requested.

"Hey babe..." He smiles and leans in to kiss me. Why do I keep allowing him to? Right. He's still my boyfriend.

I end the kiss and with a satisfied grin, Vince stares at me for a while, like he knows he has some kind of power over me.

I hear a door close behind us and when I turn around to look, I see Kara running towards the school bus that drives away just before she can reach it. Apparently Vince also saw because he begins laughing loudly.

Sadness washes over me as I watch Kara standing there, looking like a kicked puppy, and I wish I could offer her a ride. But there's no way that Vince would help 'that nerd' because he is 'way too good' for that and it would ruin his oh so 'important reputation'.

Vince drives off before I can say anything and I keep looking at Kara who now begins to walk down the street with her head lowered. Vince is still laughing and I really don't understand what's so funny.

-

"So you and Vince are okay?" Sam asks me with wide eyes as the P.E. teacher suddenly throws a ball at her.

I sigh because I don't really feel like answering her question but fortunately, I don't have to because our teacher is suddenly standing in between us. 

"Sam, can you please go pitch? Everyone's waiting for you."

Sam nods and walks over to her post while the teacher hands me a bat. I grip the bat tightly and slightly lean forward. Sam has always been a good pitcher and I've always been a good batter so this is bound to be a home run.

Sam winks at me and as everyone watches, I wait patiently for her to pitch the ball. Finally she does but I hear someone whistling behind me, causing me to turn around to where Vince is standing, watching me.

The ball hits me right on the side of my face.

"Sam!" I call out, annoyed, and Sam starts laughing along with the rest of the group and Vince. He's lucky that the ball didn't hit me hard or I would make him pay for laughing at me.

"That's what you get for being distracted!" Sam grins as the teacher throws another ball to her. I take my position again, hoping Vince won't whistle this time.

Sam pitches the ball and I hit it hard, causing it to fly all the way across the field. I throw my bat aside and begin running, hearing Vince and his friends cheering. I'm heading for third base when I see my opponent running towards me. I pick up my pace and make a full sliding across the grass, touching the base with my foot.

Everyone begins clapping, and I guess it must've looked pretty cool. I'm covered in mud though.

"Great job, Lena!” The teacher compliments me, giving me a thumbs up.

I smile and walk towards the bench to clean up, feeling Vince’s hand glide over my butt as I pass him. I roll my eyes and sit down next to Kara who is up last, as usual.

"Hi!" I say happily, still buzzing, and Kara’s head snaps up.

"Oh, hey." She smiles softly, and I feel Vince’s eyes burning on me.

When I look down, I suddenly see a small trickle of blood on my ankle and when I lift my sweatpants, I notice a big graze. Fantastic.

The teacher seems to have noticed too and tells me to go see the nurse. "Kara, walk with her."

I sigh and stand up, still feeling Vince’s eyes on me as Kara walks me inside. I ignore him.

"It's not that bad." I say with a soft chuckle. "You don't have to walk with me, Kara. You can go back and play softball. Or don't you like it?"

Kara shakes her head and fidgets with her glasses again. I wonder if it's become a nervous habit. "I'm not very good at it."

I decide not to say anything and a few seconds later, we reach the nurse who gives me a big bandaid. I sit down and Kara instantly kneels before me.

"Let me help you." Her soft voice sounds comforting in the cold room as she takes the bandaid from me and pushes my pants out of the way. Her fingers graze the skin of my ankle before she carefully places the bandaid on the wound, her brow furrowed in concentration. The nurse hands me a wet towel but before I can take it from her, Kara beats me to it.

"Kara, it's not that serious. I can do it myself." I say with a smile, but Kara ignores me. She begins to wipe the blood off my leg, so softly and delicately, like she's afraid she might break me. It warms my heart but makes me want to cry at the same time. I can’t remember the last time someone cared so much.

Once the blood is gone, Kara hands the towel back to the nurse and gets up, her muscles tensing. I can see them clearly through her black t-shirt and quickly look away. She offers me her hand and helps me up.

"Thank you." I mumble, feeling a bit embarrassed.

When we leave the nurse's office, the rest of the group is walking off the field and I assume that class is over. Kara and I walk into the locker room, and some of the girls immediately throw Kara dirty looks, causing her to rush off to her place in the far corner, away from everyone else.

I sigh sadly and head over to my place next to Sam who raises her eyebrows at me. "Are you okay?"

"Fine."

"So, Danvers, huh?" She asks, and when I look at her I find her grinning.

"What?" I ask in confusion, to which Sam shrugs and pulls her hair into a ponytail.

"Nothing. Vince told me you're doing a project with her. Are you besties now?" She asks with a hint of a smirk, and I shake my head in disbelief.

"She just walked me to the nurse's office and the only reason we're doing a project together is because the teacher told us to. Vince needs to stop being such a baby." I give her a stern look, telling her to drop the subject which luckily, she does.

-

The day never seems to end but eventually the bell rings and I head to my locker. The hallway is empty since it's already pretty late, and I suddenly regret taking so many classes. I take out some books, sighing at the realization of how much homework I have.

"Hey babe." I hear Vince’s voice at the end of the hallway and his approaching footsteps, but he's not alone. I close my locker and look up, seeing him approach with almost all of his friends.

"Hi." I reply softly as I put on my jacket, and it doesn't take long before I feel his hands glide down my hips. He kisses me in front of everyone and because I don't want to cause a scene, as usual, I kiss him back.

"How's your graze?" He asks as he pulls back, his voice sounding pretty patronizing. I frown at him.

"Fine. Thanks for your concern." I reply sarcastically, and both him and his friends begin to laugh.

"Oh, Loser Danvers must've kissed it better." He says in a child's voice, and as his friends laugh again, I stare at him angrily. I roll my eyes and jerk away from his grasp, but he grabs my wrist and pushes me against my locker, his eyes filled with an anger that I've never seen before.

"Vince. You're hurting me." I complain, but all he does is tighten his grip and laugh some more.

"Oh yeah? Why don't you ask your little girlfriend to kiss it better too?" 

“Fuck you, Vince.”

I suddenly feel a sharp pain in my left cheek as Vince’s yelling rings through the hallway. As a reflex, I place my hand on my cheek as tears begin to fall from my eyes.

I manage to push Vince away from me and quickly grab my bag before running towards the exit.

-

I walk down the streets as fast as possible, furiously wiping my tears away. I can't come home as a sobbing mess. Not that it really matters. My parents aren't there anyway.

When I turn into my street, a big, dark cloud suddenly hovers over me, and when I look up, it begins to pour. How ironic.

I hold my jacket over my head and begin to run to my house, but when I get there, my key is suddenly nowhere to be found.

Can this day get any worse?

I don't want Kara to see my like this but I can't stay outside in the rain either so I swallow my pride and cross the street. The door opens within seconds and Kara is standing there, dressed in a loose t-shirt rather than her usual cardigan.

When she sees me, she shifts uncomfortably and begins to fiddle with the bottom of her t-shirt as she silently lets me in.

"I know we were supposed to meet up at my place but I can't find my keys anywhere." I ramble and she simply nods. How can she be so calm sometimes?

She takes my wet jacket from me and places it on the heater before turning to me again, staring at me awkwardly, like she isn't sure of what to do.

"Do you maybe have a towel for me?" I ask to break the silence and because I'm cold. Kara nods and begins to climb the stairs, gesturing for me to follow her.

She walks me to the bathroom that's attached to her room. "You can freshen up here if you want. I'll go make us some tea."

I nod and wait for Kara to close the door behind me before taking off my clothes, leaving me in my underwear. I dry my hair with a big towel and place my wet clothes on the heater before wandering into Kara’s room. I'm sure she has a t-shirt somewhere that I can borrow.

I open her closet and see a lot of cardigans, jeans, and blouses. When I hear footsteps, I quickly grab a t-shirt and pull it over my head. The material is soft and falls just below my butt.

The door flies open and when I look up I see Kara standing there with two steaming mugs in her hands. She stares at me with eyes as wide as saucers and the blush on her cheeks tells me that she's pretty flustered.

"My clothes are soaked so I borrowed a t-shirt. I hope that's okay." I explain. Kara nods and hands me one of the mugs, her eyes darting around a bit, like she's not sure of where to look. I guess it's not everyday that there's a girl in her bedroom wearing nothing but underwear and a t-shirt.

I pull on the t-shirt a bit before taking a seat on the same chair as yesterday. Kara takes a seat at the desk and grabs her laptop while I take a careful sip of the hot tea. 

Finally, Kara turns to me, her eyes shifting down to my ankle.

"Is it feeling better?" She asks and I shrug.

"It's alright."

Kara smiles softly and when she takes a good look at my face for the first time, I hear her gasp as her eyes linger on the red mark on my cheek. She quickly turns away from me, her whole body tensing up, and I can tell that she's afraid to ask. 

Probably because she's scared that I'll snap at her again just like last time when she asked me if I was okay.

I decide not to say anything either and wait patiently for Kara to open her laptop.

I don't want to tell her about what happened. I do trust her, and part of me does want to open up to her, but I'm afraid she'll think it's her fault or she'll become even more terrified of Vince, which I really can't blame her for.

But then suddenly, to my surprise, she turns to me again, as if she needed a moment to collect herself. “Did- What happened?” She asks, and I think she sounds angry?

“It’s nothing.” I tell her quickly, wondering why she even cares. I feel like I don’t deserve her compassion.

“You-“ Kara begins but then pauses to take a deep breath. I’ve never seen her so tense before and that says something. “Was it Vince?”

I shift my eyes away from hers, unable to look at her. It’s strange how safe I feel around her, like I can tell her anything without worrying about her reaction. But still, I don’t want her to get involved in this. There’s nothing she can do anyway. 

“It’s fine, Kara. Don’t worry about it.”

“But Lena-“

“Just drop it.” I say more harshly, and Kara instantly shuts up, her cheeks coloring red. My stomach churns with a familiar guilt but I ignore it because there’s already too much on my mind and I just want this day to be over. “Let’s just start with the project.”


	5. Warmth

Chapter 5

"Okay, so France is divided, the East and the West are at war with each other, the marriage between the princess of the East and the prince of the West is supposed to solve that." Kara reads out our notes, and I nod before biting my lip and focusing on the screen.

"And they hate each other and don't want to get married but end up falling in love. I don't think we can make it more cliché than this." I add with a chuckle. "But the characters still need names."

We both think about it for a moment. What are typical French names?

"How about Claude and Jacqueline?" Kara suggests softly, and I repeat the names in my head before nodding in agreement. It almost feels like we're making our own version of Romeo and Juliet.

"I like them." I say, and Kara happily adds the names to the notes. "What about last names?"

I stare out the window as I try to think of something. This is harder than I thought. Maybe it would've been easier if we had gone with England.

"Jacqueline Rousseaux and Claude Dubois." I blurt out, and Kara looks at me in surprise, which I don't find very strange since I couldn't say any French words and now I’m suddenly throwing out last names.

"You don't like them?" I ask after a few seconds when Kara still hasn't added them to her notes. She quickly shakes her head.

"No, I think they're very nice." She begins to type, and dread surges through me. I haven't scared her off, have I? I shouldn’t have snapped at her. Why did I do that again?

With a sigh I glance at the clock and my eyes widen when I see that it's almost 8.

"Kara, I have to go. I still have a lot of homework."

Kara looks up from her laptop and nods but I can see a hint of disappointment in her eyes. So she does like me? Or am I imagining things? It’s so hard to get a read on her.

I get up and walk into the bathroom to put on my clothes. My pants are dry by now but my top isn't. I roll my eyes at the situation and pull on my pants before grabbing my bag off the floor and walking back into Kara’s room.

"My top isn't dry yet so is it okay if I keep on your t-shirt? I'll wash it at home and I'll give it back as soon as I can."

Kara just nods and smiles, causing her eyes to crinkle, and it makes my knees feel weak for a moment. 

Beneath her shyness, Kara is actually very beautiful.

I quickly shake off my thoughts. "I'll see you in class then."

Again, Kara nods silently and gets up to walk me to the front door. She hands me my jacket and before I can stop myself, I lean in to give her a hug. I figure she can use it.

"Thanks for everything today and I'll see you tomorrow." I smile at her and she blushes as she nods again.

I'm still smiling as I walk to my own house. Kara is nice and I wish she could see that too. I wish she would stop thinking that everyone hates her just because she's smart or quiet or, simply, herself.

I ring the doorbell and when my dad opens the door, he looks at me in surprise.

"You’re home late. Were you at Vince’s?” He asks.

"Hello to you too, dad. I wasn't at Vince’s." I say as I walk inside, slightly annoyed, and as soon as I think of Vince again, tears well up in my eyes.

I want to go upstairs but before I can, I feel a hand on my wrist and I turn around to find my dad looking at me in surprise.

"Who were you with then? Whose shirt is that? It doesn’t look like your style.” He raises his voice a bit which makes me sigh some more.

“As if you’d know.”

He narrows his eyes at me. “Don’t be rude to me, young lady.”

"I was at Kara’s, dad, to work on our project. And because I had to walk through the rain after fighting with Vince again, I was soaked so I borrowed a t-shirt from her. Is that alright with you?" I pull my wrist out of his grasp and storm upstairs.

"You better not be doing anything else with that girl!" He shouts after me, but I barely hear him as I slam my bedroom door behind me. So Vince is allowed to touch me in all sorts of inappropriate ways but I can't even borrow a t-shirt from Kara? What kind of logic is that? Right. There's no logic.

I collapse onto my bed, frustrated. 

The scene from earlier today flashes through my mind again and all I can see are Vince’s angry eyes as I keep feeling a sharp pain in my cheek. How could he do this?

Tears form in my eyes again and loud sniffles fill my room as I bury my face in my hands. I know that Vince has anger issues but I never thought he would actually hit me.

I hear the vibration from my phone and when I fish it out of my bag, I see that I have 18 missed calls from Vince and 20 texts of him apologizing. My tears only get worse and I throw my phone to the other side of my room before lying down on my bed again. I don’t think I’ve ever cried this much in my life. I feel so pathetic.

Fuck school. Fuck Vince. Fuck everyone.

I bury my face in my pillow and a sweet scent invades my senses; the scent that clings to Kara’s t-shirt. It calms me a little as a warmth fills me and I snuggle under my sheets, closing my eyes. 

I really hate my life sometimes.

-

"Lena! You're late!" I hear my dad's voice and I startle out of the few hours of sleep that I got.

"How late is it?" I mumble, still half asleep, and my dad glances at his watch with an irritated sigh.

"It's almost 11! So hurry up so I can drop you off before my meeting." He says somewhat angrily before storming out of my room, leaving me behind with a stunned expression.

It's almost 11 which means that Drama class starts in exactly 30 minutes. We have to present our ideas to Ms. Grant and I can't bail on Kara!

I run into the bathroom, quickly brush my teeth, pull my hair into a messy bun, and apply some mascara. There's no time to put on more make-up but I don’t really care.

I quickly put on some clothes and my shoes, grab my bag and my phone off the floor, before sprinting down the stairs where my dad is waiting impatiently.

"Are you finally ready?" He grumbles, and I decide to not even respond. Jesus, it's like he's going through menopause instead of my mom.

I silently get into the car and stare out the window with a stony expression as my dad races down the streets.

"Lena, tell me what you were doing with that girl last night. It can't be a coincidence that I heard you crying last night and now you're 3 hours late for school.”

I sigh loudly, wondering why he has to bring it up again, as an unfamiliar kind of anger flows through my body. "We didn't do anything, dad. We were just working on our damn project.”

He stares at me with his mouth open, the redness in his face intensifying as he pulls up in front of the school. I quickly get out before he can say anything and close the door with a slam.

"This conversation isn't over, Lena Luthor!”

I hear him drive off behind me as I walk away. Great. First Vince and now my dad. It wouldn't surprise me if Vince said something to his dad who in turn said something to mine. That's probably what's up.

I run into the school and when I check my watch I see that class has long started by now. Damn it.

Out of breath, I stumble into the classroom and to my regret, Kara is already standing in front of the group, all by herself.

"I'm here!" I tell Ms. Grant who waves it off and signals for me to join Kara.

"Sorry." I mumble to Kara as I quickly take the notes from her and wait for our teacher to start asking us questions about our project while everyone stares at us.

"So, Ms. Luthor and Ms. Danvers, what do you two have in store for us?"

It's not hard for me to notice that Kara is feeling pretty nervous and uncomfortable so I decide to speak for us. It's the least I can do after I let her wait for so long and almost didn't show up altogether.

I scan the notes for a moment before I begin to sum up everything that Kara and I came up with. I haven't heard any of the other ideas but judged by our classmates' reactions, ours is the best one so far.

After a few minutes which felt like hours, I'm finally done talking and Ms. Grant begins to clap excitedly. "That's fantastic! Great job! I'm awarding you with an A for now!"

A huge smile lights up my face and I throw my arms around Kara as my happiness takes over. A few seconds pass before I feel her touch me, her hands settling on my lower back as she hugs me back.

When I pull away, I turn to Ms. Grant who is looking at us with a grin. 

"Okay, for next class I want you two to prepare a small part of your play. It doesn't have to be long, just make sure that the plot becomes clear."

I nod and look at Kara, and for the first time I see a genuine smile on her face.

-

I reluctantly make my way into the cafeteria, looking around the room that reminds me of a zoo full of wild animals. Sam waves me over but I turn away and pretend not to see her. I don't feel like sitting with her and Vince and the rest of the group.

I can feel Vince’s eyes on me as I walk away, fighting my way through the crowd of students. Since it's sunny outside, I decide to walk to the fields behind the school; to the abandoned bleachers.

It's nice to be alone sometimes, but I quickly realize that I'm not. As I approach the bleachers, I notice a hunched figure in the corner, scribbling in a notebook again.

"Hey Kara." I say softly, trying not to startle her. She only looks up in surprise. The sun reflects in her eyes and for the first time I notice how beautifully blue they are as she looks at me directly.

"Hi Lena." She shoves her notebook into her bag and fiddles with her collar a bit.

I sit down but leave a few seats in between us. I think of Kara’s eyes again and the warmth that I feel in my stomach takes me by surprise.

"What were you doing?" I ask as casually as possible as I get a bottle of water from my bag. Kara begins to fiddle with her hands, almost as if she's embarrassed.

"Nothing. Just some stuff for school." She picks at her nutella sandwich but doesn't eat it.

"Oh." I try to hide my disappointment and stare at the bottle in my hands. I should've known that she wouldn't tell me. Whatever it was, probably other people’s homework, it's none of my business. We barely know each other and while I do feel like I can trust her, she obviously doesn't trust me. I can't blame her, though, with the whole Vince situation.

"Shouldn't you be sitting with the others?" She almost whispers the word 'others', like she's scared of saying it, and I shake my head.

"No, I needed some space." I try to inject some cheer into my voice, but Kara doesn't even smile. Did I say the wrong thing?

"Oh... I'll leave then." She mumbles dejectedly, and I stare at her with wide eyes as she begins to gather her things and stands up. Before she can leave, I grab her hand.

"No, please..." I stammer a bit and suddenly feel pathetic, quickly letting go of Kara’s hand. "I mean, you can stay if you want."

Kara looks at me and for a moment I could swear that she's smiling. 

Slowly but surely, she sits back down, and an uncomfortable silence falls over us. Did I really just grab her hand? I want to smack myself in the face, but that won't help much.

"Are you always here during lunch?" I ask to break the silence and it works at least a little as she mumbles a quiet "yes". Well, she's not the most talkative person. That's for sure.

Just as I'm about the ask another question, I see Kara open her mouth to speak so I quickly shut up.

"It's calm and peaceful out here. In the cafeteria, people only bombard me with mean comments." She confesses honestly, and for the first time I feel like in a way, she trusts me too.

"They're just idiots." I say, and from the corner of my eye I see Kara smile. I take a pack of Reese's out of my bag. "Want one?"

Kara’s face lights up and she accepts the candy from me, popping it into her mouth before staring ahead with a thoughtful expression on her face. I smile to myself. She really is kinda cute.


	6. Safe With You

Chapter 6

"Lena, is that you?" My dad's voice rings through the house as soon as I walk inside after school.

"No, the queen of England." I call back sarcastically and walk into the kitchen to grab a snack, planning to head upstairs. I really don't feel like talking to my dad, knowing what it'll be about.

He lowers his newspaper as I pass him. "Very funny, Lena. Do you have more jokes for me? Did you learn them from Ms. Funny Pants from across the street?" I stare at him in disbelief, but he doesn't seem sorry at all. "I talked to Paul today at my meeting."

It's silent for a long time and I know my dad's doing it on purpose to make me uncomfortable. It's really not ideal that Vince is the son of my dad's boss because when we fight my dad is bound to find out. It has happened before that my dad thought he was going to lose his job, because of course Paul will always believe Vince’s side of the story over mine.

"Oh, and what did he say?" I try to act confident by crossing my arms over my chest, but I can't help but feel small.

"That you acted ridiculous to Vince and said awful things to him that I don't want to repeat. This could cost me my job, Lena!" There we have it. The usual 'I could lose my job because of your behavior' talk. I don't know what to say because my dad never believes me anyway.

"Maybe Vince should keep his hands off me so I won't have to say those awful things to him that I strangely don't remember!" I counter, and my dad's expression turns into one of shock. Yeah, I guess he wasn't expecting that.

He always thinks that Vince is the perfect guy because he's always polite and he's into sports, and whenever I tell him something that doesn't fit into that image, he gets mad because it surely means I'm lying. Because how could perfect Vince ever do something like that?

"What did Vince do?" He asks, his voice almost calm now, and even I'm surprised by his reaction because usually he gets mad when I say something bad about Vince.

"Never mind. You wouldn't believe me anyway." I mumble and turn around, walking upstairs. All this, this whole situation at home, drives me crazy sometimes. I’m tired of my dad never believing me. I’m tired of my mom never being there.

I collapse onto my bed, unsure of what to do. If it was up to my dad, I would take Vince back because then at least his job is safe.

Sighing, I stare outside, my gaze automatically finding the house across the street. Kara is sitting by her desk as usual, and something tells me that she's doing other people's homework again, given the fact she's checking everything at least 3 times.

I watch her calmly. For some reason she makes me feel calm. Calm is what she seems to radiate.

All of a sudden, she puts down her pen and rubs her eyes before looking up, directly at me. I panic when I realize that I've been caught but when I see the weak smile on her face, I calm down again.

I sit up and wave at her, my eyes never leaving hers as she waves back. I look around for a piece of paper and spot a writing pad on my desk. I grab it along with some markers and sit down on my bed again.

'HEY' I write in big, black letters before holding up the note, watching as Kara’s smile turns into a grin. She grabs something and a few seconds later she holds up a note too.

'HEY' it says with a smiley face, making me laugh softly. I quickly begin to write again.

'HOW ARE YOU?' I draw a weird stick figure next to it before holding it up, watching in delight as Kara laughs.

'FINE. YOU?' She holds up the note but then lowers it again, adding, 'NICE DRAWING!'

I laugh and shrug my shoulders, silently telling her that I'm not a very good drawer. Kara smiles widely, and for some reason it makes me feel giddy.

'FIGHTING WITH MY DAD' I write back, and Kara’s smile immediately falls off her face. A mild disappointment courses through me. I like it when she smiles.

I see her begin to write something back but suddenly my dad storms into my room.

"Hurry up. You have to work a shift at the bar tonight." He announces before leaving again, and my smile completely disappears because I totally forgot about that.

I quickly put on a black top and my work shoes and turn to the window to wave at Kara but she's still busy writing.

"Lena, come on! I don't want to be late again!" My dad shouts from downstairs, and I roll my eyes. I stare at Kara a little longer but she doesn't look up once.

Feeling bad, I grab my bag and walk downstairs where I have to rush after my dad. I get into the car with a feeling of guilt weighing down on my chest because this isn't the first time that I've left Kara alone.

I grab my phone and scroll through my list of contacts. Surely I have Kara’s number somewhere... But when I look under the letter 'K’, her name is nowhere to be found.

-

"Lena! There's my favorite bargirl." James, the full time barman at the canteen of my dad’s hockey club, walks up to me and gives me a tight hug.

"Hey." I laugh when he doesn't let me go and when he finally does, I give him a big smile.

I helped out at the hockey club a lot during the summer, kind of as a part-time job, and I still do now when they really need me.

James smiles, revealing his pearly white teeth. "I know you missed me, Luthor."

I roll my eyes playfully and fix my hair into a tighter ponytail before joining James behind the bar to turn on some music. Tonight's game ends in a few minutes and since the team seems to be winning, it'll be busy in here soon.

I feel James’s arm slide around my middle and I frown at him. "What's up?" He chuckles and pushes a glass of alcohol in my direction. "James, I have to work."

"I'm not trying to get you drunk, Lena. I know you're underaged and I have morals, you know?" He says with a pout. "It's just a new mix that I'm trying and I want to know if you like it."

He's practically begging by now while making some weird moves to the music, and I throw my hands up in defeat.

"Okay, okay. God, James!" I laugh and pick up the small glass, knocking it back in one go. A mix of tropical and exotic flavors explode in my mouth, leaving a burning feeling in my throat. "Wow, that's really good."

I lick my lips while James shrugs and grins. "What can I say? I'm good too."

Rolling my eyes at his stupid remark, I slap him on the shoulder. "Let's get to work."

-

With a sigh, I glance at the clock and when I see that I've been at work for nearly 4 hours, I sigh even louder. Most people have gone home by now, except for James because he's my ride home but he's busy doing something in the storage room.

I begin cleaning up, wanting to leave as soon as I can, when I hear the sound of tapping fingers on the bar.

"Do you have a drink for me, babe?"

I recognize the voice all too well and freeze. Shit. I try to gather all my courage to turn around, still dreading this long awaited 'confrontation'. 

As expected, I'm staring directly into Vince’s mysterious, half-dazed eyes and a grin adorns his face. I'm not sure if it's a good or a bad thing, but something inside of me is leaning towards the latter.

"I'm sorry but I can't serve alcohol to minors." I say, and Vince’s eyes dart away for a moment before he laughs mockingly. Once again I'm not sure if I should be scared.

I bite my lip as I look around the canteen and it's only now that I realize that it's really abandoned. Fuck.

"Are you scared, Lena?" Vince asks, and when I look at him again I can tell that he's already had plenty to drink.

"I'm not scared." I reply and while I sound confident, I don't feel that way at all.

"You're so fragile, Lena, so fragile." Vince says and begins to walk to the side of the bar where he can easily reach me.

My heart begins to beat faster and as he approaches me, I'm already bracing myself to cross my arms over my face in case he hits me again. But once he's standing in front of me, he doesn't look as threatening. He just looks drunk.

"You're so hot." He whispers into my ear, and the scent of alcohol invades my nostrils as he lets his hands slide down my sides.

An uneasy feeling washes over me and I try to push him away but he's bigger, taller, and stronger.

"Vince stop." I finally manage to push him off me and he staggers backwards. Once he regains his footing, he looks at me angrily.

“You bitch.”

"Lena, where-" James is standing in the door opening with his jaw dropped and it doesn't take long for him to pick up on what's going on. He rushes towards us and stands in between me and Vince, causing me to sigh out in relief.

Vince gets furious when he sees James and the fact that he's drunk only makes things worse.

"Is he the guy you’re screwing? Whore." He slurs and charges at James who reacts by punching him in the jaw. He stumbles backwards and falls to the ground.

The adrenaline in my blood increases as I move to check on Vince. He looks dead. With shaking hands, I check his pulse and let out a deep breath when I feel it throb steadily beneath my fingers.

“What was that about?” James questions, flexing his fingers.

“That’s... that’s just my asshole ex boyfriend.” I reply, unable to offer a better explanation. That’s what he is now anyway, right? I never officially broke up with him but even he must know that it’s over.

“He’s been giving you trouble?”

“Sort of.” I mumble, suddenly feeling exhausted. “He’s drunk.” 

“If you need me to have a word with him, just let me kn-“

“I don’t need you to save me, James, but thanks.”

“I’m not trying to save you but what if I hadn’t been here? He could’ve seriously hurt you. You need to look after yourself, Lena. This kid obviously has issues. Maybe you need to tell someone. Like your dad or someone at school.”

Obviously I’ve considered this but my dad wouldn’t believe me anyway since he only cares about his job, my mom doesn’t even seem to remember that she has a daughter sometimes, and telling the principle would make Vince’s friends hate me and that prospect doesn’t sound very appealing either.

“I’ll handle it.”

"Alright. Well, come on on, we should get him to the hospital." James offers me his hand to help me up and together we begin to carry Vince to James’s car.

-

I call Vince’s parents as soon as we get to the hospital and when they get there, I tell them that Vince fell down the stairs because he was drunk, and they seem to believe me. I can’t tell them the truth because they wouldn’t believe their precious son would do something like that, and I don’t want to risk getting James into trouble with all their fancy lawyers.

We're sitting in the waiting room when a nurse approaches us and I shift nervously. What is she going to tell us?

"He's awake and doing fine." She informs us with a friendly smile, and I sigh in relief because a lot of trouble could've come from this.

When I walk into Vince’s room to see him, I gasp at the sight of him. He's pale and there's a huge bruise on his face where James hit him. I walk up to the bed and Vince smiles at me, and a mixture of emotions go through me.

I'm angry but also sad to see Vince like this, even though I know it's all his own fault. The nurse asks his parents to talk outside for a moment, leaving me alone with him.

"Hey." He says, smiling weakly. I stand there frozen. I'm not used to this vulnerable version of him. "What happened? Dad says you know."

I swallow and think for a moment. He doesn't even remember what happened, which means he wasn't fully aware of what he did, right? He was just so drunk that he lost control of himself, or is James punching him to blame for his sudden memory loss?

Wait, why am I making excuses for him?

"You were drunk and fell down the stairs when you were leaving." I tell him, and he grins sheepishly.

"Well, I'm lucky you were there." He tries to stroke his hand over my cheek but I move away. He doesn't even remember that he almost assaulted me again, and I don't know what would've happened if James hadn’t showed up. It also seems like he still didn’t get the memo that it’s over between us. “What’s wrong?”

I have to fight the urge to chuckle sarcastically. Now isn’t the time. He’s not even fully awake. “Nothing. Get some rest.”

It doesn't take long for him to fall asleep again and I leave the room with a horrible feeling in my stomach. I find his parents outside in the hallway and his mom looks at me worriedly.

"Is he okay?"

"He's fine. Fell back asleep." I say tiredly, smiling weakly. She nods and rushes into his room while I turn to his dad. "What did the doctor say?"

Paul shrugs, looking a bit disheartened. "They found traces of XTC in his blood." I stumble back in shock. I never knew that Vince was into drugs but it would certainly explain his behavior recently. "And combined with alcohol... Well I'm sure you can fill in the rest yourself."

"Yeah..." I murmur, unsure of what to say.

He smiles and places his hand on my shoulder. "Thanks Lena.”

When he's out of sight, I sigh and leave to find James in the waiting room. He looks as exhausted as I feel.

"Are you ready?" He asks in a raspy voice and I nod. He stands up and pulls me into a hug. "I'm sorry about all this."

"It's not your fault." I mumble back.

When we pull up in front of my house a little while later, I pull him into another hug to thank him again. I'm usually not one to hug people this often but I can't help but think about what might have happened if he hadn't come back.

As soon as I set foot inside my house, the lights flick on and I see my parents standing at the top of the stairs, both looking angry.

"Why didn't you call?"

"Where were you?"

"Why were you hugging James?”

"Why did Vince’s parents call us more than 10 times?"

A thousands questions are thrown at me and I can’t help but explode in rage.

"Stop with the endless nagging! Check your facts before you make accusations!" I scream before storming back outside, blinded with anger.

Teary-eyed, I step into the dark street. Of course it's raining because the universe hates me but there's no way that I'm going back inside. My eyes stay focused on the house across from me. There's only one light still burning, in Kara’s room.

Without thinking twice, I cross the street. I don't want to wake up Kara’s parents by ringing the doorbell so I pick up some rocks and throw them at Kara’s window.

God it feels like I'm in a movie.

Part of me doesn't expect Kara to come downstairs and it takes a long time as it begins to rain harder and harder, but eventually the door creaks open, revealing a sleepy and confused Kara. I don't waste any time and wrap my arms around her neck, no longer able to hold back my tears.

Kara tenses for a moment but then I feel her arms around me and I melt into her. She guides me inside, closing the door behind us, and rubs my back as I continue to cry. I feel like an idiot but I can't bring myself to pull away. Kara’s arms feel safe around me and she sounds so, so worried as she tries to comfort me.

"What happened? Lena, please tell me." She sounds almost desperate now, and I feel bad. She probably thinks the worst. How can she not when there's a crying, soaked girl in her arms in the middle of the night? 

I inhale her sweet scent as I pull back, allowing it to comfort me, and look at her sheepishly.

"I'm sorry." I mumble, embarrassed, as I wipe away my tears.

Kara doesn't say anything and slowly removes her arms from around my waist. I suddenly feel bad for getting her involved in my problems, but I don't know where else to go. Sam would probably just make me feel worse, since she always seems to believe anything Nick tells her and since Nick is close friends with Vince...

I suddenly feel incredibly lonely.

I don't look at Kara when I speak again. "Can I stay here tonight?"

My voice sounds so soft that I wonder if Kara can even hear me. I finally lift my head and find her staring at me with wide eyes. She's fiddling with her hands, and I immediately want to backtrack, but then she speaks.

"Of course. You can use the bathroom if you want. Don't worry about being quiet. My parents aren’t home, they’re visiting Alex."

Kara leaves to make some tea while I walk upstairs. I know the way to her bedroom pretty well by now and walk straight into the bathroom. My reflection scares me when I look into the mirror and I quickly wipe away the streaks of mascara under my eyes. Thank God it was dark downstairs or I would've scared Kara to death.

Just like a couple of days ago, I strip down to my underwear before walking into Kara’s room to find a t-shirt.

I find one and pull it on, relishing in its comfort. I then reach back to pull my hair out of its ponytail, letting it fall down my shoulders in messy waves. I don't think I've ever looked this horrible.

I hear Kara enter the room and wipe at my face once more before turning to her. It's only then that I get a good look at her and my mouth goes dry. She's wearing a loose tank top, showing off her muscular arms. Her hair is loose and messy, her glasses nowhere to be found, and I'm speechless. I've never seen her like this before. She looks... hot.

"You work out?” I practically yell, and she sets down the mugs before looking at me with a strange expression.

"Yes?"

I can barely hear her. I'm too focused on this new version of her. I mean, I already thought she was cute but now she looks... sexy. My cheeks heat up at my own thoughts.

"I- I’m sorry." I mumble, embarrassed. Is this the same Kara? Does she have a twin? I shake my head to myself and quickly try to change the subject. “So your parents are visiting your sister?”

“Yeah.” Kara sighs and sits down on the bed, rubbing her eyes. She's silent for a long time and begins to fiddle with her hands again. "I wish I could’ve come but I have school."

"You miss her, huh?” I sit down next to her and try to make eye-contact but she won't look at me. It's like she's embarrassed.

She nods. “School sucks even more without her. I haven’t felt so alone since...”

It’s the most she’s opened up to me and I feel my heart skip a beat. I want to say something cliche, like how she’s not alone because she has me, but I haven’t done anything to defend her so that would be a lie.

“Since when?” I ask softly.

“Since I first came to live with the Danvers.”

My brow furrows. “What do you mean?”

She shrugs as if it isn’t of importance. “I was adopted.”

“Oh.” I don’t know why but I suddenly feel stupid. “I didn’t know.”

“It’s okay.” She finally looks at me, and as soon as our gazes meet, a warmth spreads through my body. Her blue eyes look so vulnerable but also still so beautiful.

Without saying a word, I wrap my arms around her neck for the second time tonight and pull her into a hug. By the looks of it, she's the one who could use one right now.

"Thanks." She whispers, and I just nod in some sort of unspoken agreement. 

After I let go of her, she hands me a mug of tea. I take a few careful sips, feeling pretty calm already.

"Can I sleep here?" I ask, putting the mug down on the nightstand and getting more comfortable in bed. Kara nods and stands up, making me frown. She walks to the closet and grabs some blankets.

"Good night." She mumbles and moves towards the door. I watch her in surprise. She's not leaving, is she? I don't want her to leave.

Just like at the bleachers, I reach out the grab her hand and my heart begins to beat faster when those captivating blue eyes look at me.

"I don't want to be alone. Please." I admit genuinely, and a weird feeling passes over me. It's a feeling that I can't put my finger on but it's there and it's telling me that I want Kara to stay.

Kara stares at me for a long moment as the moon shines through the window and gleams in her eyes, but then she steps away and places the blankets back into the closet.

I crawl underneath the warm sheets, holding my breath when I feel the bed dip as Kara carefully lies down next to me, keeping a distance between us. It's dead silent for a while and I stare at the ceiling, thinking of everything that took place tonight.

So much happened. Another fight with Vince. Vince in the hospital. A fight with my parents. Now I'm in bed with Kara. Kara who somehow makes my heart race just by being present. I need time to process everything.

"Why were you crying earlier?" Kara’s soft voice pulls me from my thoughts, and when I turn my head towards her I see that she's sitting up, quietly looking at the rain outside.

The silence returns and I swallow, how am I supposed to explain what happened?

"If you don't want to tell me... you don't have to." She stammers, her eyes dropping to her lap as she plays with her fingers. I realize she may look different on the outside without her usual attire, but she's still the same on the inside.

"Vince is in the hospital." I reply as I sit up. Tears are burning in my eyes again but I try to hold them back. Vince is a jerk so I shouldn't cry about him, but the whole situation at the hospital and with my parents makes things worse. "I had to work at the bar. That's why I left earlier and I already felt so bad and then Vince showed up and started to harass me and a colleague punched him and we had to take him to the hospital and..."

My rambling barely makes sense and I feel my tears begin to roll down my cheeks. I quickly bury my face in my hands. What's wrong with me? Why can't I just hold it together?

I feel two warm hands wrap around my wrists, gently uncovering my face, and I find myself staring into Kara’s eyes. 

“Why do you allow him to treat you like this?”

“I don’t know.” This time I’m the one who has to look away. It feels like Kara can see right into my heart and I suddenly feel so vulnerable. “For some reason everyone loves him so much. At school, even my own parents... Who would ever believe me over him? I guess I’m scared. It’s better to just leave it alone.”

Kara doesn’t speak for a moment but when she does, she sounds almost defeated. “Yeah, I know what that’s like.”

My stomach churns at those words and I force myself to look at her. “I’m sorry, Kara, for everything.”

“It’s okay.” She says, and I shake my head frantically.

“It’s not. You don’t deserve this kind of treatment. Why don’t you tell your parents? Surely there’s something that can be done.”

Her cheeks flush a bit and I can tell she’s upset. “I don’t really want to talk about this anymore.” 

“But Kara-“

“Please?” She whispers, and I sigh but nod.

“Okay.”

With a sad smile, she wipes away my tears before getting me to lie back down. I didn’t even realize I was still crying.

"Try to get some sleep, Lena. You need it."

I nod as she wipes away the remainder of my tears. Still shaking slightly, I grab her hand and shift onto my side so that my back is turned towards her but her arm is draped around me. I know this is probably weird but I don't let go.

Instead, I snuggle deeper into her arms and close my eyes. She's right. I do need sleep and I also need someone who makes me feel safe. Somehow, Kara does.


	7. Friends For Now

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for all your thoughts and comments

Chapter 7

"Yes Eliza.”

...

"That's fine."

...

"I will. Tell Alex I said hi."

I wake with a start and almost jump out of bed. What was that? Still half asleep, I glance around the room and quickly come to the conclusion that it's not mine. Oh right... It's Kara’s.

Wait what? What the hell am I doing in Kara’s room?

Images of last night start flooding my mind and I immediately remember why and how I got here. 

My head begins to pound with an oncoming headache as I think of Vince, the hospital, my parents...

I feel something wet drip down my brow and my face scrunches up in confusion. I realize that there's a wet cloth placed on my forehead and I rip it off, staring at it in mild shock. What was it doing there?

I reach up to wipe the wetness off my forehead and it's only then that I realize how hot my face is, almost burning. All of a sudden, a horrible feeling passes over me and my stomach seems to twist, causing me to fall back onto the bed with a loud groan.

Of course I'm sick in somebody else's bed, sweating like crazy. How fun.

I hear footsteps begin to climb the stairs and I figure it must be Kara since she's not in the bedroom nor in the bathroom. It doesn't take long before the door opens and Kara’s standing there, dressed in her usual clothes, her hair neatly tied back into a ponytail, glasses perched on her nose.

She's clearly startled to see me awake and quickly takes her eyes off me.

"Sorry, I left to walk Toby." She says, and it takes a moment for me to realize that’s the name of her dog. "How are you feeling?"

"Sick." I joke before yawning loudly, and she laughs softly as she finally looks at me again.

"I made you breakfast." She tells me, pulling at the collar of her shirt a bit, before leaving me alone. I can't help but feel a bit disappointed.

With a sigh, I drag myself out of bed and walk into the bathroom where I wash my face and try to fix my hair a little. I look even worse than last night.

When I walk back into the bedroom, I see a pair of sweatpants laid out on the chair and something tells me that Kara put them there for me so I quickly pull them on. I begin to descend the stairs with my arms crossed over my chest, feeling slightly nervous.

My nerves are put at ease a bit when I’m greeted downstairs by an excited Labrador, his tail wagging. I smile and pet him on his head. “Good morning, buddy.”

While my body trembles a little from my high temperature, I step into the large dining room that's attached to a modern kitchen. The table is neatly set but only for one person, and when I look up I see Kara standing there with a cup of coffee in her hands.

"You did all this for me?" I ask, and Kara simply nods. It's such a sweet gesture and I can't help but feel flattered. Vince would never do something like this for me.

I take a seat and gratefully accept the cup of coffee that Kara hands me. I blow on the hot liquid before taking a small sip.

"Hm, this is heaven." I hum, and Kara smiles gently as she sits down beside me. "Aren't you going to eat?"

My voice sounds loud in the quiet room where nothing can be heard except for the music playing softly from the radio. Kara shakes her head as she pours herself a glass of orange juice. Okay, I know she's always a calm person but why is she suddenly this quiet? Does she not like me? Or is she mad because I showed up on her doorstep last night and claimed her bed? 

Probably... God I'm so selfish!

She already has to deal with enough, being bullied everyday, and she never comes crying to me either.

A horrible, guilty feeling begins to spread through my body and there's suddenly nothing left of my appetite. I only feel like a burden.

It stays silent between us for a few awkward and uncomfortable minutes as I finish drinking my coffee before I get up and hurry upstairs to get dressed. I have a feeling that Kara doesn't like me being here so maybe I should just leave her alone and go home.

In the bathroom, I quietly begin to change into my own clothes. Why is Kara suddenly acting so distant towards me? Was it really wrong of me to think that we were slowly starting to become friends?

I fold up Kara’s clothes and place them on her bed before grabbing my bag and walking back downstairs. I try to make my way to the front door without being noticed but I hear footsteps come up behind me and when I turn around, I see Kara standing there with big eyes.

"You're leaving?" She sounds surprised and even a little afraid, but I really don't know what to make of it so I just nod.

"Thanks for everything. See you at school." I reply before walking outside and crossing the street to my own house where my parents are probably already preparing to lecture me.

As quietly as possible, I step into my house; my house that feels so much colder than Kara’s. I sigh in relief when I don't see my parents anywhere and quickly make my way up to my room. Since I want to avoid a rant, I figure it's best to stay unnoticed.

A pounding headache tortures me with every step I take and when I close the door behind me, even that noise makes me wince. It's safe to say that I'm feeling pretty crappy.

I drop my bag on the floor and practically throw myself onto my bed, closing my eyes. I still need time to process everything that's happened. The school year has only just begun and it's already too much.

A door slamming shut downstairs startles me from my nap and I pull myself upright with wide eyes, knowing that it can't be anyone besides my parents.

"Lena?" I hear my mom yell, and I groan when the pain in my head intensifies. When I hear someone storm up the stairs, I'm sure my head is going to explode.

"Lena?" My mom yells again, sounding a lot closer this time, and a second later my door swings open. She stares at me with a strange expression on her face and I swallow, preparing for the inevitable screaming.

"Lena! My God, I was so worried!" Tears begin to stream down her cheeks as she pulls me into a hug, sobbing into my shoulder. I frown. "I thought you might've done something to yourself!"

"What?" I stammer as I awkwardly pat her back, trying to get her to calm down.

She pulls back and cups my face into her hands, offering me a weak smile. "I'm so sorry."

"Lena?" I hear my dad's voice and see his silhouette appear in the doorway. A smile lights up his face when he sees me, but just like my mom, he looks sad and tired. What did they think I was up to last night?

"Why did you guys think I was going to hurt myself?" I ask, and my parents exchange a glance.

"Um..." My mom turns her face away from me, looking for my dad's support who's quick to offer it.

"We didn't know where you were, honey, and after what happened with Vince... We didn't know what you were capable of." He explains, and a sarcastic chuckle leaves my mouth. Is he serious?

"What are you talking about? Don't be ridiculous, dad!" I protest fiercely, and he sighs and rubs the back of his neck.

"Lena..." He says softly. "Maybe you should see a psychiatrist. You've been behaving so differently lately. Your mom and I would completely understand if you want to talk to someone other than us."

My eyes grow wide when my brain registers his words, and I look at my mom. “Mom, is he serious?”

She looks pained. “Honey, I know I haven’t been home much and for that I’m sorry. You know how demanding my job is. I know I’m probably also to blame for the way you’ve been acting out-“

“Acting out?” I interrupt her. What?

“From what your father told me...”

“He’s just worried about his job.” I scoff and roll my eyes. “Why on earth would I need a psychiatrist?"

My voice comes out louder than intended and my dad sits down on the other side of my bed, but I don't feel like looking at him. My parents think I need help all because of Vince. Who the hell cares about Vince? He got punched by James. I didn’t even do anything.

"I need to be alone." I mumble, standing up and grabbing my bag to put some clothes and makeup in it.

"Where are you going?" My mom asks in a small voice, and I shrug because I'm not sure. I can't go to Kara. I definitely can't go to Vince. So I guess Sam is my only option. She's still my best friend so she has to understand right? As long as I leave out the whole 'slept over at Kara’s house' part.

"Lena, tell us where you're going! Right now!" My dad demands, and I shrug again. I begin to walk to the door but my dad pulls me back. "You're not going to that girl from across the street!"

My anger tenfolds at the way he talks about Kara. I pull away from him and sprint down the stairs, hearing him call after me.

"I don't want you to see her again!"

With those last words, I slam the door behind me.

-

"Come on, open up." I murmur against a closed door, tapping my foot impatiently.

After ringing the doorbell for the 7th time, I see someone appear at the window and breathe out a sigh of relief. Sam should be home because she never does anything on Saturdays besides sleeping and eating.

With bags under her eyes, she opens the door and I can tell that she just woke up. It's 2 in the afternoon.

"Lena? What are you doing here?" She mumbles sleepily, rubbing her eyes before stepping aside to let me in.

"I had a fight with my parents. Can I stay here?" I ask, sounding distant. I don't really feel like being here but I don't have another choice.

"Sure. I'm home alone for the weekend anyway." She says and leads me upstairs. "Why were you fighting with your parents?"

I sit down on her bed and bite my lip in thought. "Did you hear about Vince?" She nods and I let out a sigh of relief because at least I don't have to tell her that part. "I came home late and my parents were mad at me so I left and stayed with a friend."

I try to keep things vague. If I tell her that my friend is Kara, she'll probably laugh at me or tell me I'm stupid for hanging out with such a 'loser'.

"So you were gone all night?" She raises an eyebrow at me, and I nod.

"Yeah and when I got home this morning my parents were still mad." I try to direct the subject away from what Sam really wants to know. "They said they think I need a psychiatrist. They were afraid I would hurt myself last night."

"Who were you with?" She gets straight to the point. Fuck. What am I supposed to say? "Oh no... Lena!”

"I had no choice! It was the middle of the night and it was raining and she lives right across from me!" I try to defend myself, but she's still looking at me in shock.

"And what will Vince think?" Is her first comment, and I sigh. I don't really care about what Vince thinks as long as he'll leave Kara alone. Knowing him, he won't.

"Please don't tell him, Sam." I beg, and she makes a face at me before sticking up her hands in surrender.

"Fine, I won't. But I'm sure he'll find out anyway and he won't be happy." She brushes her hand through her hair and I can see the gears in her head turn as she thinks for a moment. "I didn't know you were into sexy dorks..."

"Sam!" My jaw drops and I throw a pillow at her head. She begins to laugh.

"Did she tie you up and use you like a science experiment?" She wiggles her eyebrows and the next pillow comes flying at her head.

"Sam!”

"Sorry, sorry." She laughs louder and quickly disappears into the bathroom to get dressed.

I shake my head and look down at my hands. I was dreading Sam’s reaction but it's actually not so bad. At least she managed to make me feel better, unlike my parents.

I let myself fall back onto the bed and stare at the ceiling for a while.

"Nick called. He asked if we want to go see Vince. He's allowed to go home." Sam says when she walks back into the room. “Vince wants to talk to you.”

“I don’t think there’s anything left to say.” I reply.

“You might as well just get this over with. You know he won’t rest until you hear him out.”

I sigh because I know she’s right. “Fine.”

Sam stares at me skeptically. "Don't worry, I won't tell him about Danvers. Now fake a smile and come on. Nick said Vince really wants to see you."

"Let me get changed first." I grab my bag and drag myself into the bathroom. I really don’t wanna hear whatever Vince has to say. It’s over between us but he clearly seems to think otherwise.

As soon as we're in Sam’s car, she turns on the music and loudly begins to sing along which makes me smile. I'm glad I don't feel as sick as this morning or I probably would've collapsed by now.

It doesn't take long before we pull up in front of the hospital, and Sam leads the way to Vince’s room since I have no idea what room they transferred him to last night.

Vince and Nick are both in the room and Vince is busy packing his things.

"Hey babe!" Nick greets Sam who immediately pulls him into a hug. Vince’s eyes find mine and he quickly closes the distance between us, moving to hug me as well.

I take a step backwards to avoid him. “Um, I don’t think that’s a good idea...”

Vince is silent for a moment, rubbing the back of his neck thoughtfully. “Look, I know I haven’t been the best boyfriend but can we just stop being angry with each other?”

“That’s quite the understatement.” I tell him, trying to remain calm. “You’ve treated me awfully and even slapped me.”

“I’m sorry.” He says, and he even sounds genuine. “I fucked up. But you hanging out with that nerd pissed me off. We’re better than her, Lena! Do you know how damaging it could be to my reputation if you’re seen with her?”

I shake my head in disbelief. I already knew he only cares about his reputation but hearing the words come out of his mouth is still unsettling. “She never did anything wrong.”

“That’s not the point!” He protests loudly, and when I glance around the room I notice that Sam and Nick are staring at us. Awkward. “Look, just give me another chance. I will treat you better. We’re the it couple after all.”

As much as I wish things could just go back to the way they were before this whole mess, I know that Vince can't give me real love. Well, I ruined things with Kara too... Wait what? Why am I thinking about her like that? What the hell is wrong with me?

I mentally want to slap myself. I try to block out any thoughts of Kara, push them into a far corner, but it's hard. I see Kara’s face in my mind again when I feel two arms wrap around my waist. I know they're Vince’s arms, but as I think about Kara, I secretly wish they were hers.

I feel safe with Kara. I can be myself around her and she doesn't care about popularity... Or does she? The way she ignored me this morning hurt in an unfamiliar and strange way, and I still don't know what to think of it.

I close my eyes and briefly allow myself to get carried away. Kara appears in my mind again. Kara who held me while I cried, Kara who comforted me, Kara who made me tea to warm me up...

Finally I snap out of it and pull away from Vince, creating some much needed space between us. “Vince, I don’t think we should be together anymore.”

I cringe slightly, expecting him to explode, but instead he just looks disappointed. “Well let’s at least act friendly to each other, then. I don’t want the whole school to find out that we were driven apart by that loser.”

I can’t believe he’s really blaming our breakup on Kara but I’m too tired to argue.

“And I will fight to win you back, Lena.”

-

The next few days pass slowly and God, I feel awful.

It's already Thursday now and the entire week I've felt like an idiot for joining Vince’s group again because for what reason? To keep up appearances because he wants us to? I don't know but I do know that it hasn't made me any happier.

I agreed when Vince asked me to be friends, but I keep telling myself that it was probably a big mistake. I did it more because I felt pressured by Sam and Nick’s presence than for myself.

Maybe it's better this way though. Maybe I can keep him off those damn drugs and maybe he’ll leave Kara alone. This way, he also won't find out that I spent the night at Kara’s last Friday because who knows what he'll do then. I don't want Kara to get hurt.

I leave my last class and because we were allowed to leave early, it's still quiet in the hallways. I walk to my locker where nobody's to be found. No Vince or any of his friends. Nobody.

Enjoying the peace and quiet, I open my locker and begin to sort through my books. I grab my diary to check what homework I have and my heart drops when my eyes land on Drama class.

Shit.

I haven't talked to Kara all week. I feel like too much of a coward to face her. Every time I see her, we make eye-contact and I feel that same warmth in my stomach; the kind of warmth that Vince never makes me feel. I haven't stopped thinking about her eyes, her smile, her voice, her touch, and it scares me.

"Lena?”

I jump and the hair on the back of my neck stands up when I realize whose voice it is. The one I was just thinking about.

I take a deep breath and turn around to see Kara standing in front of me. My gaze wanders down to her lips, and I feel that strange feeling again.

"Yeah?" I try to compose myself, quickly looking up at her eyes.

"I got your lines for tomorrow. I figured you would play Jacqueline." She says softly, and I look at her in surprise when she hands me a paper. There are paragraphs of lines on it and I know this must've taken her a lot of time.

"You did this all by yourself?" I ask, feeling terrible when she nods. Now I'm the one who made her do my homework. "Kara, you didn't have to. I-I..."

My words die in my throat when Kara offers me a small smile and shrugs.

"It's okay. I'm used to it." With that, she turns around and walks away from me. She's probably completely oblivious to how awful I feel. Great job, Lena.

"You're such a bitch." I mutter to myself as I turn back to my locker. As I place the paper with my lines between one of my books, I feel a presence next to me.

"Who's a bitch?" Vince asks, and I have to fight the urge to scream or cry. That's all I feel like doing right now.

“No one.”

"Do you want to watch a movie tonight?" He asks in a fake charming voice, and just the thought itself makes me shiver. It's probably just another attempt to assault me. As if sensing my thoughts, he adds. “I promise I won’t try anything. I’m okay with being friends for now.”

The ‘for now’ part kills me. If he thinks we’re ever becoming a couple again he’s crazier than I thought.

"No sorry, I have a lot of homework." I swallow carefully and don't look at him, not wanting him to catch on to the fact that I'm lying.

He lets out a loud, bored sigh and I know he's trying to get to me but I don't care. "Well, I'm going to KFC with the guys so I can't give you a ride. Maybe you can take the bus or something."

He walks away, and I'm left behind feeling even worse than before. What an asshole!

I storm outside, enraged, and push my way through the crowd of students that have started to form in the hallways. Why does this always happen when I'm in a bad mood?

"Prom night! Everyone come to prom night!" Two students of the student faculty are shouting near the entrance, and when I pass them, they push a piece of paper into my hands.

I shove it into my pocket, not even looking at them. I'm too busy trying to leave and it seems like it's going to rain so I want to get home as soon as possible.

My parents are still mad at me but at least they've decided to leave me alone, which isn't very hard since they're hardly ever home. On top of that, Vince’s dad was so happy about my 'rescue action' that he gave my dad a promotion, so I see him even less now. What a surprise. It's all politics.

Just when I reach the bus stop, the bus drives off right before my eyes. What a fucking cliché.

If it starts to rain again, I'll really begin to wonder if I'm not secretly part of some bad comedy; the joke being my life.

I bury my hands into my pockets and begin to walk. It's already starting to cool down a lot, like Winter's coming early this year. I miss Summer so much already. Not only Summer but also the old version of Vince: the fun version. Or did that version never exist? Did I just imagine it?

I don't know and I also don't know why I ever fell for such a jerk.

I suddenly feel a crumbled piece of paper in my pocket and pull it out. It's the invitation to prom. I stare at it for a moment but then throw it in the nearest trashcan. There's no way I'm going with Vince. I don't feel like following him around like a dog all night. There's no one else I can go with... or well... No. No, there's no one.

-

A while later, I'm sitting in my room, working on my homework, when I suddenly begin to feel very curious about the lines that Kara came up with. I have to act out my part convincingly tomorrow, and I can't help but be a little nervous because well, it's a romantic play. What if we have to hug or... kiss?

I bite my lip and begin to read.

_The situation in the scene is as follows: Claude and Jacqueline are about to get married but because of her confusing feelings, she runs out of the hall where hundreds of people have gathered to watch them say 'I do'. Claude runs after Jacqueline and finds her in the garden where she's crying in the snow._

I swallow the lump in my throat, already feeling goosebumps all over my body. There will definitely be a love confession in this scene.

_Claude carefully places his hand on Jacqueline's cold shoulder, and doesn't let go of her. Not again._

_"Go away, Claude." Jacqueline refuses to look at him as she wraps her arms around herself, trying to fight off the cold._

_"Jacqueline..." Claude whispers, and Jacqueline finally turns to him, her eyes filled with sorrow. "Please don't do this to me."_

_He wipes away the silent tears that are streaming down her cold but beautiful face._

_"I don't know anything anymore. After everything that happened, I'm so confused." Jacqueline admits, and very carefully, Claude pulls her trembling body against his. He strokes her back with one hand while he gently caresses her hair with the other, pressing his lips close to her ear._

_"I know we didn't have a choice, but I would always choose you." He takes a step back and cups her cheek in his hand. "Marry me."_

_The whole world seems to stop as the words fall from his lips, and Jacqueline collapses into this arms, burying her face into his neck._

_"I'd love to." She says as she looks at him and gives him a shaky but genuine smile. He pulls her closer and tilts his head down before pressing a tender kiss to her lips._

I stare at the paper with wide eyes. It's beautiful and I'm mesmerized, but the last line makes my hands tremble.

_...before pressing a tender kiss to her lips._


	8. A Closeness

Chapter 8

I don't know how long I've been staring at the paper in my hands. I'm not sure why my hands are shaking so badly. Nervousness? Fear? I can't tell, but the words Kara wrote are obviously to blame.

I read the last line again, causing the paper to fall out of my hands and onto the floor, as I stare at the wall. Why did Kara write a kiss into the script? Obviously it fits the moment but she could’ve chosen a different scene for us to act out. 

It’s like she wants us to kiss... 

The strange feeling that I've been experiencing for the last few days whenever I even look at Kara begins to bubble up inside of my again, and it's never been stronger than now. But I don't like Kara in that way, do I?

Okay, she’s cute and she can apparently be very sexy too, she made me breakfast... And she makes me feel warm and fuzzy inside. But still... 

She probably hates me, anyway, with the way I’ve basically been avoiding her recently. But then why did she wrote the kiss into the script?

Closing my eyes, I breathe out a sigh of frustration and let myself fall backwards onto my bed. 

-

"Lena!" I jump upright at the sound of my mom's voice and squint into my dark room. Great, I still have a pile of homework and I fell asleep.

I grab my phone from my nightstand and see that I have several missed calls from Vince and Sam.

Slightly surprised, I stare at the bright screen and my eyes widen when I see what time it is. It can't be...

"11.15?" I exclaim and grab my pillow to scream into it. This is the 2nd time this has happened!

"Lena? Is everything okay in there?" My mom asks from outside the door, and she only gets a grumble in return. I only have about 5 minutes to get ready and get to class in time. Of course I'm not okay.

I jump off my bed and begin to get dressed. My room is still dark but I don't have time to turn on the light or open the curtains which I assumed my mom closed for me last night. I'm not entirely sure of what clothes I'm putting on but as long as they're warm I don't care.

Once I've brushed my teeth, I grab my bag and sprint out of my room in less than 5 minutes. A new record.

"Don't you have to eat?" I hear my mom ask, but I don't reply and storm out the door, hoping to catch a bus at the bus stop. Of course it drives off before I can get to it.

A string of curse words fall from my mouth as I begin to run down the streets in an attempt to limit the damage. I already know I'm going to be late again, and I'm not wrong.

At 11.50, I storm into the school. I'm completely out of breath and sweaty by the time I make it to the right classroom, stumbling inside with my face as red as a tomato.

Just like last week, Kara is already standing in front of the group by herself and I roll my eyes in annoyance. Why can't Ms. Grant just have us come up last and wait for me?

"Sorry!" I pant as my eyes find Kara who looks slightly worried, and my apology is more directed at her than anyone else. This is the 2nd time I'm late, I let her write the scene by herself, I left her alone after she spent the night taking care of me...

"Ah Lena! You're right on time because Kara was just about to show us your piece and it would've been a shame if you had missed it. I expect a good performance or it will affect your grade." Our teacher rambles, but I can barely hear what she's saying.

Kara is still looking at me and when her gaze slowly drops to my lips, that strange feeling washes over me again. Did she spent the night thinking about it too? The kiss? Me?

"Are you two ready?"

When I look up, breaking eye-contact with Kara, I see Ms. Grant standing there with raised eyebrows.

"Yeah, of course." I mumble and begin to rummage through my bag. 

My lines have to be here somewhere, right?

I look through all my books but the paper is nowhere to be found... Shit. It's still on my bedroom floor.

With apologetic eyes, I look at Kara in desperation. I want to apologize to her all over again because I'm probably going to screw things up for her.

Kara seems to sense my despair because within seconds, she's standing next to me. She places her hand on my shoulder and looks me in the eyes, and I try to ignore the flutter in my chest.

"If you don't remember, just improvise. It'll be okay, Lena. You can do this." She whispers to me while our teacher speaks to the rest of the students, and a weak smile forms on my face.

After a few seconds, Ms. Grant is finally done talking and turns to us. "So, tell us what to expect from the scene."

I suddenly begin to feel nervous, especially with all the attention directed at us.

"Um..." I stammer, feeling heat rise to my cheeks. I stare at my shaking hands as I try to formulate words, but it isn't until I look up and receive a reassuring nod from Kara that I finally speak. "Claude and Jacqueline are about to get married. Jacqueline is scared and runs away."

Sweat begins to form on my brow and my hands begin to shake even harder. What's happening? I'm never nervous when I have to present in front of a group, so why am I now?

"And Claude goes after her and tries to change her mind." Kara adds when my silence lasts too long, and I give her a thankful smile. 

I take a moment to think about where to start. I have to cry and then Claude, or Kara, has to comfort me. Okay. I can do that.

I kneel down and try to channel my inner Jacqueline by letting all my emotions that have built up inside of me take over; all my anger, sadness, frustration... And it doesn't take long before tears gather in my eyes.

I feel a warm hand on my shoulder and goosebumps spread over my body, and it takes a moment before I realize where I am. In a play, on the floor, in the classroom...

"Go away, Claude." I don't even have to think about the line. It just comes out. I wrap my arms around myself and keep staring at the floor, nerves still coursing through my veins. I feel the warm hand softly squeeze my shoulder, and I briefly close my eyes. Of course Kara knows that I'm not really this upset because of the play but because I really feel awful, and it seems like she's trying to reassure me.

"Jacqueline." Her soft, smooth voice pulls me from my thoughts, and I take it as a sign that I should stand up and face her.

I swallow and slowly pull myself to my feet, my arms still wrapped around myself. Blue eyes are staring directly at me and my breath hitches in my throat when I see the storm of emotions in them. I'd give anything to know what Kara is thinking right now.

She whispers my lines to me as she cradles my face into her hands, but I don't hear a word of what she's saying. I can only see her eyes.

"I don't know anything anymore..." I say it without realizing and while it's part of the play, it doesn't feel that way. I didn't say it as Jacqueline but as myself because I really don't know anything.

Kara wraps her arms around me, and very carefully and tenderly, she pulls my body against hers. I shiver as one of her hand rubs my back while the other one strokes my hair. It's like nobody else is here, nobody besides me and Kara, and I enjoy the peace she brings me, but the kiss is coming closer and closer and I'm confused.

Kara’s hand grazes my ear as she tucks a strand of hair behind it and a second later I feel her lips press against it, and I'm sure I'm going to pass out.

"I know we didn't have a choice, but I would always choose you." Her gentle voice calms me a bit and I close my eyes, burying my face in the curve of her neck. I feel her take a deep breath. She takes a step back, waiting for me to look at her which I do reluctantly because I'm afraid to.

The look in her eyes seems to make the bomb of emotions in my stomach begin to tick, and I know it's only a matter of seconds before it explodes.

Her lips curl up into a small smile before they part slightly. "Marry me."

The bomb explodes and when I press my eager lips against hers, I feel so many things at once that I can't put it into words. She wraps her arms around me, and nothing else in the world matters but the magnetic pull between us.

Finally I know what it's like to feel her soft lips against mine.

It's perfect.

Whistles and catcalls suck me back into reality; back into the classroom I momentarily forgot I was standing in with everyone watching.

Panicking slightly, I remove my lips off Kara’s. We're still in the play, but it's like Kara and I are the only ones who forgot that. We're not part of a scene anymore. I'm not Jacqueline and Kara is not playing the role of Claude. This is us. Lena and Kara.

The warm feeling in my stomach only intensifies as Kara releases me. Her deep blue eyes stare into my green ones, and I see a sort of sparkle in them.

"Bravo! Bravo!" Ms. Grant begins to clap loudly, making me smile a bit in spite of the whirlwind of emotions inside of me because at least I know we've done well.

Kara smiles at me, and without thought, I take her hand into mine and give it a soft squeeze. We take a bow as Ms. Grant begins to clap even louder. And that for something we didn't even rehearse.

I look at Kara and catch myself smiling back at her.

Just as we're about to walk back to our desks, Ms Grant’s eyes shift to the door opening and a horrible feeling passes over me. I follow her line of sight and feel all the air leave my lungs when I see Mike standing there. Mike. Vince’s friend.

"Mike! Come in!" 

I quickly release Kara’s hand, but the grin on Mike’s face tells me that he has already seen enough. My throat closes up as I watch Ms. Grant talk to him. "The letters about prom! Thank you! I hope we didn't keep you waiting too long. We were all absorbed in Lena and Kara’s beautiful play."

Mike turns to us with that same grin on his face, and I see Kara’s jaw clench so tightly that mine almost hurts in sympathy.

"Don't worry. It gave me the chance to also enjoy the... show." He emphasizes the word 'show' and after handing over the letters, he casually walks by us and looks at us intently. "I wonder how Vince is going to feel about this."

My heart begins to pound in my chest and I suddenly find it hard to breathe, knowing that Kara feels the same way as me, or probably even worse.

"See you after school, Danvers." Mike winks and walks away, and while everyone begins to talk about prom, I hear Kara make a small noise next to me.

She looks as white as a ghost and with big, fearful eyes, she looks at me as tears begin to form.

What have I done?

I made a mistake. I know that Kara is afraid of Vince and I don't blame her because I am too. Still, I don't feel any regret. The kiss was perfect. It was a kiss that I'll never get from anyone else. It was soft and tender, but also passionate.

The only thing I feel is fear because I know that Vince won't just let this go.

I'm pulled from my thoughts when I see Kara’s jaw quiver, and I know what she's thinking. Mike will definitely tell Vince and Vince will get angry, and when he's angry it's best to stay away from him or you'll probably end up in the hospital.

She suddenly darts out of the room.

"Kara! Where do you think you're going?" Ms. Grant shouts, but Kara doesn't even look back, and I don't have to think twice before running after her.

I can't help but feel like this is all my fault. If something happens to Kara, I'll never forgive myself.

I find her outside. She's leaning against a wall, her face buried in her hands, and I can tell that she's crying. My heart breaks. This is the first time that I see her like this, usually when people bully her she masks her emotions so well, and all the pain that I've ever felt before can't compare to what I'm feeling now.

"Kara?"

I see her tense, but she doesn't look up.

I don't know how things escalated so quickly. Clearly Kara wanted to kiss me or she wouldn't have written it into the scene, right? Of course she didn't expect Mike to see us... I don't think either of us really considered the possible consequences.

I don't know what to do to fix things, but there's an urge inside of me to comfort Kara, to protect her. So, I wrap my arms around her waist and make a soft shushing noise into her ear, trying to ignore my own panic.

"Hey, it'll be okay." I whisper, and she finally acknowledges me, leaning into me.

I have to fight back my own tears. I don't deserve to cry because I'm not the victim. I won't be the prior target of Vince’s anger. I'm the one to blame here, not Kara. I should’ve known better. I shouldn't have kissed her but I got carried away, and I can't deny that I enjoyed feeling her lips against mine.

“This is all my fault.” Kara mumbles.

I frown. “No it’s not. Vince is an asshole and-“

“I shouldn’t have included a kiss in the scene.” Kara continues in a watery voice. “But I didn’t think you would really kiss me.” 

Her words stun me into silence for a moment. “Was I- Was I not supposed to?”

“No, I-I mean...” Kara stammers, pulling back slightly. She won’t look at me and her cheeks are bright red. She groans and buries her face in her hands again. “I wanted you to but I didn’t think you would.”

My body relaxes with relief and a strange fluttering erupts in my chest. What’s happening to me?

"Kara, look at me." I try to pull her hands away from her face but she won't let me, and I can tell that she's embarrassed. "Kara please..."

I manage to remove her hands and pull back just enough to look her in the eyes. I try to offer her a smile, but it's shaky and I'm sure she can sense my own concern too. Still, I want to reassure her. "Whatever happens, it’ll be okay."

But as soon as my gaze wanders sideways, my eyes meet dark ones that belong to no one other than Vince.

Fuck.


	9. Heartless

Chapter 9

"So it's true."

The sound of Vince’s voice startles me and I pull away from Kara who also stiffly turns around with a nervous look in her eyes.

"And I kept thinking..." Vince begins to walk closer to us and I take a step backwards, pulling Kara with me, as more guys begin to gather around us. Almost all of Vince’s friends are here now and I know this is bad news. I hold onto Kara’s arm tightly and I can feel her trembling. "... that my dear, sweet Lena would never make a fool of me."

As Vince takes another step closer to us, almost as if he planned this, a crack of thunder suddenly splits the sky. I look up at the dark clouds and feel a drop of rain fall onto my forehead. Of course. How fitting.

I pull Kara with me again but soon bump into a wall, and I know that we've got nowhere to go. It's only a matter of seconds before Vince is standing face to face with Kara whose breathing is growing heavier.

"And out of all people, she did it with a loser like you." With every word, he gives Kara a rough push against her shoulder. She just stands there. Why isn't she fighting back?

"Vince stop! We’re not together anymore, it’s not up to you to decide who I’m friends with.” I try to reason with him, but he pushes me away from Kara, causing me to fall to the ground. I wince as a jolt of pain shoots through my body.

"Lena!” Kara tries to get to me but Vince pulls her back and sends her flying to the ground as well. She roughly lands on her back and a groan of pain leaves her mouth.

With tears in my eyes, I pull myself upright and try to check on Kara but two pairs of hands close around my arms, keeping me in place. It's Mike and one of Vince’s other friends.

"Vince! Please stop!" I beg and try to free myself, but the two guys holding me are too strong and I'm forced to watch as Vince approaches Kara who's still lying on the now wet ground. "Don't do this!"

"Shut up!" Vince screams and stalks towards me with a threatening look in his eyes. My heartbeat picks up in speed even more and my breath catches in my throat. I can't believe this is really happening, but at the same time I can.

"I warned you about this. You’re embarrassing me by being around that nerd. Why couldn’t you just listen?” He hisses at me once he's standing in front of me, and before I have time to think, I feel a sharp pain in my left cheek. He hit me again. And without mercy.

"Don't touch her!" Kara’s voice sounds through the ringing in my head, and when I look at her, I see her pull herself to her feet. She looks angry all of a sudden, determined. “Get away from her.”

Vince looks at me for another moment before he turns around with a devilish grin on his face and aims his fist towards Kara. She dodges it and manages to kick him in the leg. 

“Fuck!” He grimaces in pain, faltering momentarily. 

“Why would you hit her like that?” Kara demands, and pride surges through my body. This is the first time I’ve seen her stand this strong. “You’re supposed to care about her but all you care about is yourself. It’s pathetic. Just leave her alone. She’s not your possession.” 

Her eyes catch mine, and I can’t help but smile a bit because she’s defending my honor. But the moment distracts Kara, and Vince immediately jumps onto the chance to punch her square in the face.

She never saw it coming.

I watch in horror as she falls back onto the ground and doubles over, and I let out a gasp when she coughs up a red liquid. Blood.

"You asshole! Do you feel like a man now?" I yell, trying to pull myself free again. There's no use. I'm stuck.

Vince begins to laugh and walks over to Kara, looking down at her body that's curled up in pain. "You were playing a man just now, weren't you? Claude, right? Then fight like one too. Did you really think..." In a matter of seconds, Vince’s foot flies into Kara’s stomach, and tears begin to stream down my face when I hear her cry of pain echo across the empty schoolyard, "that you could touch my girl?"

Another kick and another, followed by more moans and groans of pain. Why isn't she doing anything? Why isn't she fighting back? I know she has the muscles! It doesn't make any sense.

The rain is getting heavier and the thunder is getting stronger, just like the blows that Kara is receiving without doing anything to stop them. Nothing at all.

"Fight back for God’s sake!" I scream at her and begin to struggle again. “Kara! Please fight back. Please...”

My eyes meet blue ones and I can see the pain and sadness in them, but also the conflict. Her mouth forms words that I can barely make sense of. “I can’t. I’m sorry...”

Just when I manage to free one of my arms, a different pair of hands grip my wrist and I realize that a third guy has come up behind me. About seven guys are watching us, doing nothing other than enjoying the show, and it makes me sick.

"She's not fighting back because she's too much of a coward." Vince grins, and I can’t take it anymore.

“Kara please.” I try again, attempting to keep it together despite my tears. “Fight. Do it for me.”

Vince’s foot shoots out to kick her again but this time she stops him by grabbing his ankle, pulling him to the ground. Hope begins to burn in my chest again.

With what little strength she has left, Kara pulls herself to her feet, but Vince’s friends immediately ambush her from behind and hold her back by her arms, giving Vince easy access to her.

In the blink of an eye, Vince has helped himself upright too, and the fear inside me grows while my hope that Kara might actually win this fight fades. She tried though. At least she tried.

"You're done, Danvers!" Vince’s bellowing voice can be heard all the way on the other side of the schoolyard, and the bell rings shortly after. More and more students begin to gather outside and every single one of them stops to see what's going on.

"Vince! The principal is coming!" The guys let go of me and I fall onto my knees.

Like the coward he is, Vince joins his 'friends' and as quick as they can, they run away - away from the situation, away from the damage they've caused.

Just a feet away from me, Kara is lying motionless on the ground, and with shaking legs I stand up and try to get to her as fast as I can.

Her face is covered in blood, her glasses on the ground, and I choke back a sob as I kneel down beside her. I curl my fingers around her wrist to feel for a pulse.

Unconscious.

"Please help!" I call out desperately, and the principal comes running towards us along with some other teachers. They all pale when they see Kara lying there.

"Call an ambulance!" The principal screams at one of the teachers who disappears back inside.

I try to brush Kara’s hair away from her face but my hands are shaking too badly. I still can't believe what just happened; what I just saw.

It doesn't take long for the ambulance to arrive and Kara gets loaded onto a stretcher. I watch as the doors are closed, feeling guilt begin to churn my stomach.

"Ma'am, shouldn't we take a look at that wound?" One of the paramedics asks me, but I shake my head. I only have a cut on my cheek while Kara is unconscious in the back of an ambulance, bruised and beaten. I don't matter right now.

"No, take her to the hospital please." I mumble, determined, as I grab Kara’s glasses and bag off the ground. The paramedic nods and gets into the ambulance that speeds off a second later.

"Lena!" A girl flies into my arms, and it takes a moment for me to realize that it's Sam. "Are you okay? Oh my God... Lena, I'm so sorry."

She hugs me tightly with tears in her eyes, and I hug her back eagerly. It's nice to know that she's here for me and actually seems to care.

"I'm fine, Sam. Can you drive me to the hospital? Her parents are out of town. I don’t know how long it will take them to be here. I don’t- I don’t want her to be alone.”

Sam nods without hesitation and grabs her keys before guiding me to her car. I get in, feeling sad, exhausted and shocked at the same time.

“Maybe we should go to your place first, get you some clean clothes.”

I want to protest but I know she’s right. I wipe the remainder of the blood on my cheek away with my scarf, but I know that I look like a mess regardless. “Yeah.”

When we get to my house, I quickly run inside and up to my room where I change into the first clean clothes I find. I’ve never been so relieved that my parents aren’t there.

Hurrying back to Sam’s car, I find her on the phone.

“No Nick! How do I know you weren't in on this? I know I’ve never showed concern for Kara but she sure as hell never deserved this. Well, screw you!" She screams into her phone before angrily tossing it aside and slamming her hand against the steering wheel. "Jerk."

I consider telling her that Nick wasn't there but I don't have the energy and she's right, all those guys are the same anyway.

She turns to me and offers me a tired smile. “So, to the hospital?"

I barely have time to nod before Sam is speeding down the street. Apparently all this really scared her too.

It's usually a 20 minutes drive but within 10 minutes, we're standing in front of the big, white building. I hurry to the front desk and immediately begin to ask questions about Kara.

"Are you family?"

My heart skips a nervous beat. "I'm... I'm her friend. I was there when it happened."

The receptionist looks at me with a bored expression and slowly begins to type away on her computer, causing me to grow even more anxious. Sam notices.

"Listen Tracy or whatever your name is, I know it's Friday and you can't wait to go home, but trust me, we'd rather be somewhere else right now too. So do your job and tell us where Kara is so we can all get out of here unharmed. Got it?"

The receptionist's eyes widen slightly and a moment later, she tells us what we want to know.

"Thank you." Sam exclaims sarcastically before I pull her towards the elevators.

-

"It's supposed to be here somewhere." Sam says, and I follow her finger that's pointing at a sign next to a big, white door.

"I think you're right." I mumble as I stare at the number.

"Maybe it's best if I leave you alone with Kara. I don't think she'll appreciate my company." Sam offers me a sad smile and pulls me into a tight hug. "Good luck."

She lets me go and walks away with that same smile on her face, leaving me behind as a nervous wreck. Part of me isn't ready to face Kara yet.

I take a deep breath and knock three times, and a moment later, a middle-aged nurse opens the door.

"Can I help you?" She asks with a warm smile, and I quickly glance over her shoulder to confirm that it is indeed Kara who is lying in the hospital bed.

"I'm here for Kara." I reply, shifting on my feet a bit, feeling quite uncomfortable. “I’m her friend.”

“Oh, I see.” The nurse says. “I'm sorry, dear, but visiting hours aren't until 7."

"Please, I just want to see her. I was there when it happened." 

The nurse’s smile turns into a sympathetic one. “I suppose I can make an exception.”

“Thank you.” I sigh in relief. “Have her parents been informed yet?”

“They have.” The nurse says, and I can’t help but feel slightly nervous about the prospect of having to explain things to them. It feels like my responsibility, somehow. “They are on their way here.”

“Good. She needs them. And Toby. Toby needs them too. He’s her dog.” I ramble, not sure if I’m even making sense.

“I’m sure it’ll be fine, dear.”

"Jane, Dr. Brooks needs you." A different nurse appears in the door opening, and the nurse whose name is apparently 'Jane' nods.

“Excuse me.” She says politely before leaving the room, leaving me alone with Kara.

My gaze shifts towards Kara who's lying on the bed, completely still with her eyes closed. I let out a shaky breath and move to her side, carefully bringing my hand to her face. I gently move my fingers over her skin, my stomach flipping horribly.

"I’m so sorry...” I whisper, and it hurts so much to see her like this; weak and helpless. It's not a sight that's entirely new but it's never been this bad. And all she did was be around me, stand up for me...

Tears roll down my cheeks as my hand finds Kara’s which feels cold in mine. I stare at it for a while, the guilt in my stomach growing again, as I play with her fingers. If I hadn't kissed her, none of this would've happened.

Kara wouldn't be in this hospital, bruised and broken, and I wouldn't be crying. Again.

What a mess.

I’m interrupted from my thoughts by my phone and when I look at the screen, I see that it’s my mom calling. With a sigh, I pick up.

“Lena? Honey, what on earth is going on?” My mom begins before I can say anything. “There was some kind of fight at school? Are you alright?”

Honestly, I’m surprised that she cares. “I’m fine. But Kara’s not. She’s at the hospital.”

“Good God, what happened? The principal called. He wants you to stop by his office. Apparently Vince is in trouble...”

“He better be. I hope he gets expelled or better yet, arrested.” I reply angrily. I know that his dad’s fancy lawyers will probably get him out of any situation, though, which only infuriates me further. 

“Did he really do this?”

“Of course he did. You and dad refuse to see it because you only care about dad’s job, but Vince is a heartless, awful person.”

“Lena...”

I’m not in the mood for this. “Look, I’m fine, okay? I’ll call later.”

Without waiting for a reply, I hang up and shove my phone back into my pocket. I take a calming breath and focus on Kara’s hand again. Maybe I shouldn’t have asked her to fight back since it only made things worse. And what did she mean when she said that she couldn’t? I guess she didn’t want to but I insisted...

"Lena...” A soft voice pulls me from my thoughts, and when I look up, I find myself staring in the warm, sleepy eyes of Kara who gives me a weak smile that I somehow manage to return.

"You're awake..."


	10. Don’t Leave

Chapter 10

I laugh through my tears when I see the weak smile on Kara’s face widen a little.

"Hey." She laughs too, but it doesn't take long before she's wincing in pain. I know she received some blows to the chest which probably makes a simple act like laughing difficult.

Tears spring to my eyes again and I want to slap myself. Why can't I stop crying?

"I'm so sorry." I whisper and rest my forehead against Kara’s hand that I’m still holding to avoid looking at her. Kara stays calm, like she always does.

"Hey, don't cry." 

I lift my head a bit.

"It's just that you're in this hospital because of me." I tell her shakily, but the smile is still on her face and I once again don't understand how she can be so calm. She doesn't say anything but her eyes never leave mine.

"Come here." With the hand that's still intertwined with mine, she guides me closer, and with a groan of pain, she scoots to the side of the bed to make room for me.

"But you're in pain..."

"Lena, come here." Her hand gently pulls me onto the bed and as carefully as possible, I lie down next to her and rest my head on her shoulder. I inhale the scent that's so uniquely hers and let it embrace me.

"You don't have to feel so bad, okay?" She whispers into my ear, brushing my hair out of my face.

I nod once, knowing that there's no point in protesting, and let my hand slide down the side of her hospital gown that has some light stains of blood on it. I didn’t notice them before.

"The nurse didn’t do a very good job cleaning you." I mumble against her warm skin and hear her laugh softly, making me smile. I sit up and Kara looks at me in surprise, squinting slightly without her glasses. I offer her a soft smile, gently stroking my fingers over her bruised cheek. "Your parents are on their way, hopefully they’ll bring you some clean clothes to change into."

I see Kara tense slightly. “I-I wish they didn’t have to come.”

My brow furrows in confusion. “Why?”

“I don’t want them to know about things at school.” Kara replies, her cheeks coloring red. I wonder if she’s embarrassed. “They’re gonna be so disappointed.”

“Kara, it’s not your fault.” I say, but Kara refuses to even look at me. I sigh but decide not to push. “Do you need me to get you anything?”

“No thanks.” Kara mumbles, and I can tell that she’s tired which is not so strange after what she’s been through.

Smiling softly, I hop off the bed. “You should get some sleep.”

“You’re leaving?” She asks, and I swear I can detect some fear in her voice. There’s so much left for us to talk about but now clearly isn’t the right time.

“I’m just gonna make a call but I’ll be right back, okay?” I reassure her, and she nods, her eyes already drooping. 

Once she’s asleep, I quietly creep out of the room. I give Sam a quick update as she texted me several times, before wandering into the cafeteria to get a quick snack. I can’t even think about food but my growling stomach disagrees.

When I walk back into the hallway where Kara’s room is located, I see her parents standing outside her door, chatting with the nurse. They both look tired, concern written across their faces, and I freeze in my spot.

I knew that I’d have to meet them eventually and that I’d have to talk to them, explain things maybe, but now I’m suddenly scared out of my mind. 

Instead of approaching them, I turn around to scamper off into the waiting room. But, a voice stops me. 

“Lena, right?”

I look up to find a young woman looking at me and it immediately clicks in my head that it’s Kara’s sister.

“Yeah.” I reply awkwardly, suddenly feeling extremely out of place. “I was just gonna wait in the waiting room and give you and your parents some alone time with Kara. I promised her I wouldn’t leave though. I was there when it happened...”

I don’t realize that I’m rambling until Alex raises her eyebrows at me, and I quickly shut up. I’m not the type of person who gets nervous easily but Alex is quite intimidating for some reason. She has a skeptic glint in her eyes, as if she’s still making her mind up about me.

“Let’s sit down for a moment. Kara’s still asleep anyway.” She says, and I follow her without protest. Once we’re both seated, she continues. “You live across the street from us, right?”

“Right.”

She sighs and looks away for a moment. “Are you friends with Kara? I’ve been so busy at college, I feel like I don’t even know what’s going on in her life anymore.”

The sadness in her eyes is horrible. 

“I guess we’re friends.” I reply, even though I’m not sure if it’s the right thing to say. Because truthfully it still feels like I’m partly to blame for all this.

She looks at me again, her jaw clenched. “Tell me what happened. We were told about the fight but really, how long has this been going on?”

I swallow the lump in my throat. How am I supposed to tell her that Kara’s been getting bullied for a long time? Sure it’s only escalated to this extreme recently but still, she’s been eating lunch by herself for a long time. 

“A while.” I finally say, my voice cracking slightly. “It- after you left, Vince and his friends really began to target her.”

There’s a quiver in Alex’s jaw and I’m not sure if it’s caused by sadness or anger. Probably both. 

“But why?” She asks, shaking her head. “What did she ever do to them?”

“Nothing.” I tell her with a helpless shrug of my shoulders. “They just need a scapegoat and she’s an easy target I guess because she never fights back. Today I kept begging her to fight back but she wouldn’t. Not really, anyway. She said she couldn’t...”

Alex purses her lips knowingly. “It’s because she still feels guilty.”

“About what?” I ask in surprise and confusion, because sometimes it feels like I don’t know Kara at all.

“Not my place to tell.” Alex says before her face turns angry again. “This Vince guy, you know him?”

I feel sick. I know that she’ll probably hate me after this, and honestly I deserve it.

“He’s my ex boyfriend.” I admit, and tears come rushing to my eyes in a wave of uncontrollable emotion. “And it’s my fault that Kara’s here. He doesn’t want me to spend time with her and after we broke up, he blamed her for it. But of course it was never her fault. He’s just an asshole and I should’ve realized it sooner. I’m an idiot.”

Alex is silent as she processes my words and I’m afraid to look at her. Finally, she speaks. “It’s not your fault, Lena. If anyone’s to blame, it’s me.”

My head snaps up at that. “What?”

“I should’ve paid more attention to her.” Alex says, tiredly rubbing her eyes. “I’ve been so busy with my own life that I sort of lost sight of her. We used to be inseparable but the distance changed things. When she calls me I’m too busy going to some stupid party, when she facetimes me I’m too busy doing whatever... and when I do answer I apparently don’t give her the impression that she can talk to me about this.”

“She doesn’t want you or your parents to know I guess.” I try to think along with her. “Maybe she’s embarrassed.”

“No, it’s not that.” Alex says with that knowing look on her face again, and it really feels like I’m missing something. I want to ask but don’t get the chance. “This Vince guy, where can I find him?”

“He didn’t get arrested?” I ask, though part of me isn’t even surprised. If he was, he’d probably be out on bail by now.

“Kara doesn’t want to get the police involved.”

Now that part does surprise me. “Wait, what? Why? He can’t just get away with this.”

Alex huffs in agreement. “I know. You’ll have to ask Kara about that.”

Again, I feel like an outsider looking in. “I should probably go home.” 

“You promised Kara to stay, right?” Alex asks. My mouth begins to form words of protest, despite the fact that I don’t want to leave Kara’s side at all, but Alex doesn’t allow me to say anything. “Come on, you must be pretty special to her then. I’ll introduce you to my parents.”

And that’s how I find myself sitting by Kara’s bedside a little while later, waiting for her to wake up. I watch the rise and fall of her chest and listen to the soft hum of her breathing. Alex left to go get some coffee but I barely noticed, unable to keep my eyes off Kara.

Kara’s parents are in the room too. 

Their introduction was awkward, to say the least, since they only really know me as the girl from across the street who worked on some kind of project with Kara for a while. I know that they probably wonder why ‘just a friend’ is glued to Kara’s bedside, but luckily they didn’t ask.

I didn’t even realize that I was beginning to doze off a little until Kara stirs a little. I notice the troubled look on her face and grab her hand in concern. 

She inhales sharply as she is pulled out of her sleep. “Lena?”

“Right here.” I say softly. “How are you feeling?”

“Like I was hit by a truck.” Kara tells me, sinking more comfortably into her pillows and tightening the grip on my hand.

“I see she doesn’t need us.”

I watch as Kara focuses her eyes for a second before a smile lights up her face. “Alex!”

Alex grins and moves in to give Kara a hug. “You scared the crap out of us.”

“Sorry.” Kara mumbles. 

Eliza sits down on the side of the bed, looking at Kara worriedly. “We we really worried about you, honey.”

“Luckily you had Lena.” Jeremiah pipes up, and a warm feeling spreads through my body when Kara smiles at me.

-

Later that night, Kara’s family go home to get some rest but I refuse to leave. I don’t wanna go home and face my parents just yet, and I also feel like Kara and I have some things to discuss. Kara didn’t tell her parents much about everything that’s been going on at school, and I didn’t either because I feel like it’s not up to me. Maybe she’ll tell them more tomorrow. I hope Alex won’t kill Vince, though, but at the same he deserves it.

“Do you really want to know?" Her voice startles me, and I realize that I've been staring at the wall for a while now, lost in thought.

“What?” 

Kara gives me a look. “I can tell that you have questions.”

“Alex just said some things.” I admit truthfully. I look into her eyes for a moment and suddenly burst out laughing when I realize she’s still squinting. “Do you want me to give you your glasses? I picked them up off the ground, you know.”

Kara groans, placing her hand on her forehead dramatically. “And you’re only telling me this now?”

Chuckling, I rummage through my bag to retrieve her glasses before handing them to her. “Here you go.”

“Thanks.” She smiles as she slides them onto her face. “Finally I can see you clearly again.”

“Lucky you.” I joke.

“Lucky me indeed.” She says seriously, and I duck my head to hide my blush. Since when do I blush?

“Anyway,” I quickly change the subject. “It does feel like you’re hiding something from me but you don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to.”

“You deserve to know.” Kara says, fiddling with the sleeve of her sweatshirt. Her parents brought her some comfortable clothes to change into since the hospital wants to keep her overnight to monitor her concussion. 

I see the troubled expression on her face, and swallow when things get awkward between us for a moment.

"Hey, you really don't have to tell me if you don't want to." Believe me, I want to know but I don't want to force her into anything.

Kara lets out a deep breath as her hand reaches for mine again and she pulls me closer again, onto the bed. It’s like she finds comfort in my presence and my heart warms at the thought. I don’t know what’s going on between us, exactly, but I do know that I always want to be around her. 

Just like before, I rest my head on her chest and almost instinctively, my hand finds its way to her stomach, rubbing small circles. 

"Promise me that you won't leave." She says softly, and the genuine fear in her voice makes me close my eyes as I listen to the rhythm of her heart.

"I promise."

Her breathing is slow like her heartbeat, and I wait patiently for her to start talking. I want to know, but part of me is also scared.

"Do you remember when I first moved in across from you?" She asks, and my face crunches in thought because honestly, I don’t. “Do you remember how old we were?”

It's silent for a few seconds, and I open my eyes to look at her in surprise. I pull away from her and sit on the side of the bed cross-legged. Why does any of this matter?

"I was 14." Kara mumbles before she tears her eyes off the ceiling and stares at her hands. An uncomfortable silence falls over the room.

"I thought you were always..." I trail off, feeling ashamed for not knowing. How could I not know that she hasn't lived across from me all this time? Was I really that blind to her? Her hands suddenly appear in my line of sight too as she begins to intertwine them with mine, and when I look up I see that she's pulling herself upright.

"Kara, don't..." I try to stop her, knowing that she's in pain, but she ignores me and pulls herself up with effort.

"Lena...” She squeezes my hands, and when I look up I see a completely different Kara. I see a serious and intense version of her that I already caught a glimpse of last Friday; the version that I have looked past for so long. She takes a deep breath and her blue eyes bore into my green ones as she tightens her grip on my hands, like she's afraid that I'll get up and leave. "There are things that you don't know about me and I want to tell you."

I stroke my thumbs over her palms, feeling more nervous by the second. I don't know what it is that she wants to tell me but I know it can't be good.

"I had a whole different life before I came here." She says, and my confusion grows.

"What do you mean?" I stammer, and my gaze wanders down to our hands that are still intertwined. I don't know what any of this means. She's not my girlfriend. I don't even know what I feel for her exactly but I know that I have feelings for her.

"My biological parents died when I was really young and I bounced around from foster home to foster home.” For a moment, nothing can be heard except for our breathing, and my hands are beginning to sweat as I get more and more nervous.

”When I was 11 I ended up living with this family. They weren’t that bad but I was a lonely, angry kid. I didn’t say much most of the time.” Her grip on my hands tighten again, and I can see that her eyes are starting to turn red and watery. Something is wrong. "When I was about 13 years old, I became part of a group of friends. There weren't many of us. Just me and some guys. We did stupid stuff that was mostly innocent, but as we got older, our need to do something really dangerous became stronger."

I nod to show her that I understand, and she takes another deep breath before continuing.

"This one guy, Winn, and I were both 13 when we started looking for dangerous things to do, but the others, Tim and Bobby, were a bit older. We would go out and get drunk just to get into fights. Those things gave us a thrill but after a while it wasn't enough anymore. One of the guys came with something new at some point. Drugs." She glances away in shame, but I don't know what to say. "It started with pills but it only got worse... Anything that was illegal. We used all the time and bought new drugs with the money our parents made."

She quietly stares down at her lap, and when a tear drops onto our joined hands, I begin to realize how heavy all of this is. Kara drinking alcohol, doings drugs... When she was only 13.

"You don't have to tell me." The words leave my mouth in a broken tone, and Kara shakes her head as her red, wet eyes find mine.

"You have to know. You have to know why I am the way I am and why I didn't fight back today."

I nod and squeeze her hands, silently telling her that it's okay.

"One night, on a Tuesday, we didn't have any drugs left and we couldn't buy new ones because our parents were starting to notice the missing money. So Bobby came up with the idea to go to the dealer's place. He was a farmer who lived near the woods and kept all the drugs in some of the old, empty barns. Bobby said that he was never home on Tuesdays so it'd be easy for us to grab the drugs and get out of there. We did, but the farmer came home earlier than expected and he wasn't alone. It turned out that he had a meeting with someone who had placed a huge order. He came home with the other guy, and there were some other guys with them as well. They were carrying knifes and guns. We were terrified so we hid in one of the barns. It turned out that the drugs that the guy had ordered were the drugs that we had just taken. There was a huge argument and eventually... One of the guys... He killed the farmer." 

More tears begin to leak from Kara’s eyes and I can't hold back mine any longer either. I stare at her, bewildered. This can't be the same Kara. It can't be.

"We got caught but managed to get away. Still, they somehow figured out who we were." I can tell that it's taking everything within Kara not to break down, and I can see the pain in her eyes that she's trying so hard to hide. "They came to visit us when we were sitting in my backyard, my foster parents were asleep, and there was a fight. They set..."

Tears are streaming down her face now and it's easy to see that she's struggling to get her words out. She's completely stuck.

"Kara please, you're hurting yours-" Once again, she shakes her head and her eyes dart up to mine.

"You have to know!" Her shoulders move up and down as she takes a long, deep breath. She stares at the ceiling for a moment and seems to calm down even if it's just a little bit.

"They set the trees next to my house on fire and one of them fell directly into our living room. I ran inside and managed to wake up my foster parents on time, but I heard loud bangs. When I got back outside, I saw Tim and Bobby standing there with guns in their hands... I don't know where they got them, but it turned out that they shot the guys. They were wounded pretty badly themselves too... God Lena, it was awful."

My hands are shaking uncontrollably as I listen to her story in disbelief. No wonder that she doesn't let anyone in. No wonder that she doesn't trust anyone.

“Tim and Bobby went to jail because they weren't minors like Winn and me. Winn got sent off to live with family in Florida. We still keep in touch.”

My eyes leave hers for the first time in minutes and I pull my hands out of her grasp to climb off the bed. I move to stand in front of the window, allowing my tears to flow freely. I don't understand. I don't understand anything. Why didn't she fight back today? She used to fight all the time. Why didn't she defend herself?

"Why didn't you fight back? Why did you just let Vince beat you up? You're used to fighting, aren't you?" I cry, and my words sound harsher than I wanted them to. I just can't control myself.

"I was sent to the Danvers and it was like a second chance. The whole thing changed me. I didn’t want to fight anymore. I just wanted to study and keep to myself. The only person I really talked to was Alex. For some reason Eliza and Jeremiah wanted to adopt me, though, and I didn’t wanna mess things up again. I was scared, Lena, I was scared that I would put people in danger again like I did back then. Please..."

With a pained noise, she climbs out of bed and shakily walks into my direction. She wraps her arms around me and I melt into her embrace without second thought, burying my face into her neck while I hear her sniffle near my ear.

"What happened that night... It really did change me. I find it hard to talk to people now... I find it hard to trust them... I thought it was better to be alone but that's when you somehow managed to win me over." I feel a pair of soft lips press against my forehead and they leave a delicate kiss that makes my whole body shiver. "Please don't leave."

I close my eyes and press myself closer against her warm body. "I'm not going anywhere."


	11. What It All Comes Down To

Chapter 11

The next day, I spend the entire day in the hospital with Kara. It turns out that the doctor wants to keep her in the hospital a little longer just out of precaution. Kara wasn’t too happy when she heard this, already bored.

Yawing loudly, I step out of the elevator and almost stumble through the hallway towards Kara’s room. I'm exhausted. Everything that happened... The fight with Vince, the stress, the nerves about kissing Kara... It wore me out.

"I know, Alex! But I didn’t wanna worry you.” I suddenly hear Kara’s voice and I hold my breath as I keep listening.

"I get that, Kara, but look where that got you. You should’ve told me." Alex replies, and I hear Kara heave out a sigh before protesting.

"I just wanted to let the situation be because I already caused people enough stress in my life. I just wanted to stay out of trouble.”

It’s silent for a moment before I hear Alex speak again, her voice more gentle this time. “I know, Kar. It’s okay. But I still wish you’d have let me helped.”

Biting my lip, I enter the room and both of them look at me with startled expressions. Alex gives me a small smile, while Kara ducks her head. I know she’s still worried about me looking at her differently.

"I brought you coffee." I smile at Alex and hand her the cup. She gives me a friendly nod and for the first time since I've known her, she seems to genuinely be happy to see me. “Your parents still aren’t back?”

Alex shakes her head. “The principal must have a lot to tell them.”

Kara looks like she wants to disappear at that.

“Kara, you know you’re not in trouble, right?” I ask, watching as she fiddles with her glasses. “Vince was the one who attacked you, not the other way around.”

“Yeah.” Kara says softly.

“My mom said he wants to talk to me too because I witnessed the whole thing.” I say as I hand Kara her tea and place the candy and magazines I got on the nightstand next to her bed. A smile spreads across her face, and I feel my heart flutter in my chest.

My phone suddenly rings and when I look at the screen, I see that it's my mom. Great. Speak of the devil.

"Sorry, I have to take this."

Kara and Alex both nod and as soon as I leave the room, their earlier conversation continues. I don't listen to them and press my phone against my ear with great reluctance.

"Lena! Where are you? You were supposed to be home a long time ago!" Wow, says the person who is usually never home.

"At the hospital." I sigh, and I immediately hear multiple sighs from the other side of the line too.

"You're not with that girl, are you?" I recognize my dad's voice and realize that I'm on speaker phone. Not helping.

"Yes I am, dad, given the fact she's here because of your amazing, precious Vince. But I bet you already knew that!" Anger surges through my body when thoughts of Vince enter my mind, and I end the call when everything becomes too much. I don't want to start screaming in the middle of the hospital and risk being thrown out.

I turn off my phone and walk back into Kara’s room, feeling pretty crappy. I hate the way my dad treats Kara and how he acts like Vince is some kind of saint when he's anything but. He probably spoke to Paul about what happened and of course they blame Kara and me, even though Vince doesn't have a scratch on him.

"I'm going to head home. I see Kara’s in good hands here." Alex kisses Kara on the cheek and pats her on the head like a dog, making me smile. "Mom will come pick you up tomorrow, okay? Be careful with the food in here, it looks about three years old.”

I laugh at her comment and wave as she leaves the room before my gaze travels to Kara who's looking at me with a smile.

"You look tired." She says, and I shake my head as I walk towards her and sit down on the side of the bed. I take a moment to examine her face again. She has a nasty bruise but her eyes are still as beautiful as ever. They still shine.

"Maybe you should go to sleep." I emphasize the word 'you' and she laughs softly before shifting onto her side. I have to stop myself from not snuggling up next to her. I'd rather stay here with her than go home to my parents who can't ever be reasonable.

"Go home, Lena. You're exhausted."

I stare at my hands for a moment. I don't want to leave. I'll just get another lecture at home about how bad it is for me to spend time with Kara, and that I'm ruining my dad's chances of getting another promotion.

"Can I stay here?" I whisper, gesturing to the empty bed next to Kara’s, and my mind wanders back to when I spent the night at her house. The situations are almost identical, except that I've started to develop feelings for Kara and I know her a lot better now.

Kara simply nods. I take off my shoes and pull my hair into a messy bun. With a slightly weird and uneasy feeling, I climb into the empty bed and wrap the blankets around me to warm myself up while Kara’s eyes watch me closely.

I roll onto my side and stare back at her, allowing myself to drown in the blue color that melts my heart. I feel like this should be awkward, but for some reason it isn't. Kara looks soft and sleepy, and I don't want to ruin the moment but there's a question that I've been dying to ask.

"Have you thought about what you're gonna do?"

Kara’s brow furrows, like she's too tired to think, and I wish I hadn't said anything. "With what?"

"With Vince." I clarify, and she sighs and suddenly looks more awake. The thought of Vince makes me want to punch a wall and I can't even imagine how Kara must be feeling, but I need to know. "Are you getting the police involved? Alex said you don’t want to.”

Kara glances away. "No, not if it's up to me."

My face scrunches up in surprise, and I stare at Kara for a moment to make sure I heard right. Her cheeks are colored red and she's avoiding eye-contact, and suddenly she looks just as small she does around the people at school.

I swallow before speaking. "You have to, Kara. I know it's scary but you can't let Vince get away with this."

"I don't want to get the police involved. It was just a stupid fight at school and as you know, I don't have the best experience with the police..."

I get what she's saying, but my anger towards Vince outweighs eveything else. "It wasn't just a stupid fight! Who knows what would've happened if the principal hadn't showed up?"

Kara sighs, and she sounds so tired. "I don't want to talk about this right now. I'm sure school will handle it. Maybe they'll suspend him."

"Kara..."

"Lena please."

I shut up, and we continue to stare at each other in silence.

I want to lie next to her. I don't know why but I do... But I'm afraid to because what if she doesn't want me to? Or what if I accidentally hurt her? What scares me the most, however, is that I might get attached to her too quickly like I did with Vince... See where that got me. They’re not the same, though. That’s one thing that’s certain.

I don't know how to feel about anything right now, and it's weird. When I'm with Kara, everything feels so natural, like we've known each other for years. But I only learned the truth about her today and our kiss didn't happen in a natural way at all.

My bond with Kara isn't that good when you think about it. We know each other, we spent time together for our project, and that's it. Still, things have started to feel different between us... Especially after today.

She showed me a different side of herself and that means she finally trusts me. But that different side of her also makes me look at her differently which just confuses me. 

“I miss Toby.” Her voice pulls me back to reality, and a smile breaks out on my face in spite of myself. Maybe she really isn’t that different, after all.

“I’m sure Alex is taking good care of him.”

Kara just sighs, allowing me to get lost in thought again.

She has always intrigued me but I never knew in what ways exactly, and now... I'm starting to wonder if it's a good idea to allow myself to have feelings for her.

I roll onto my other side, feeling too guilty to face her. I know she hasn't really changed, she's still the same girl who's quiet a lot, the same girl who got flustered when she saw me in my underwear, but still, it's weird and even a little scary to have learned all these new things about her.

I hear soft footsteps pad across the room, and a small but uncertain smile forms on my face when I feel the mattress dip beside me. Two strong arms wrap around me as Kara presses her body against me.

"It'll be alright..." She whispers into my ear, and I can't do anything other than smile because it seems like I'm not the only one who's walking around with all these confusing feelings. All I know is that I've never felt as safe and warm as I'm feeling now.

-

"Miss Danvers! Excuse me!" I'm pulled from my sleep by a shaking body next to me, and out of nowhere, two arms slide off my waist. Kara. "You can't just take out your IV! You have it for a reason. Now come on, back into your own bed."

I recognize the nurse's voice, and with a small smile on my face, I close my eyes and pretend to be asleep. I want to hear this.

I hear Kara mumble something but I can't make out what she's saying as I bury myself deeper under the blankets.

"We don't mind your girlfriend keeping you... company at night, but you're still at a hospital." I feel my cheeks heat up at the word 'girlfriend' but I also have to keep myself from laughing at the way she says 'company'.

"Sorry..." Kara murmurs back, still barely coherent, and I hear the nurse sigh and fumble with the equipment a bit, which probably means she's reattaching Kara’s IV.

I can't believe I forgot about her damn IV.

"Alright, I'll go get you some breakfast. Do you want cereal or toast?" The nurse's strict side has disappeared completely and when Kara softly utters the word 'toast', I smile again. She can be so cute.

"And your girlfriend? Would she like toast too?" The nurse asks, and I get a weird but pleasant feeling in my stomach as she once again refers to me as Kara’s girlfriend. I don't know why but hearing people refer to me that way... It makes me feel something.

But I'm not her girlfriend. So it doesn't matter.

It takes a long time before I hear the door fall shut, and this time I'm startled out of my thoughts.

"You okay?" Kara asks, and when I turn to face her I find her grinning at me. I quickly nod my head, taking in her disheveled morning look. I have to fight the urge to crawl into bed with her again. She looks so warm and cuddly, unlike everything else in the room.

"Good morning to you too." I joke, and her smile widens a bit.

"Good morning." She replies softly. "Um... The nurse... She woke me. Apparently I'm not allowed to take out my IV."

She scratches the back of her neck while she stammers out her words nervously, and I can't help but find it incredibly endearing.

"It's okay. I get it." I wave it away, and just when Kara is about to respond, the nurse walks back inside with a tray of toast, fruit, orange juice and tea.

"Good morning! Sleep well?" She asks me, and I nod. She gives me a friendly smile and places the tray in Kara’s lap. She walks away to leave but turns around at the last moment. "Oh Kara, Dr Brooks would like to examine you later before signing your release papers.”

Kara nods and waits for her to leave before looking at me. "Would you like some toast?"

As if cued, my stomach growls loudly. Kara scoots to the side of her bed and pats the empty space next to her. For some reason, my nerves return in full force as soon as I'm sitting close to her.

"Thanks." I mumble awkwardly before I begin to eat. I almost choke when I feel Kara’s hand on my hip, pulling me closer.

"I don't want you to fall out of bed." She says with a shy smile.

I don't eat much and leave most of the food for Kara who's apparently very hungry. I look at her for a moment before lifting my hand and carefully stroking my index finger over the bruise on her cheek.

"Does it hurt?" I ask softly, and Kara places her glass back on the tray before silently staring at her hands.

"A little." 

I can tell that she doesn't want to admit it. My finger slowly glides over the bruise, and Kara closes her eyes at my touch. Although she's trying to be strong, she flinches back every now and then.

Very carefully, I place my lips against the bruise on her cheek and kiss it softly. Kara keeps her eyes closed, like she's enjoying the moment.

"Good morning, sweetheart." I jump, and when I look up, I see Eliza standing in the door opening with a surprised expression on her face. "Oh... Good morning, Lena!”

She smiles at me, and I quickly jump off the bed to grab her a chair. Now that she's here and Kara won't be alone, I decide to go freshen up in the small bathroom. I need to go home eventually, even though I really don't want to.

When I walk back into the room, the nurse is there to take Kara to go see the doctor.

"Do you want me to come with you?" I ask, and Kara’s eyes meet mine as she shakes her head.

"No thanks. You should go home." She smiles as the nurse helps her out of bed while Eliza flips through a magazine.

I don't want to go home, knowing that my parents will probably yell at me, but I walk to Kara anyway to give her a gentle hug. I let out a content sigh when I feel her arms around me.

"I'll see you soon." I whisper as I rub her back.

"Okay. Thanks for everything, Lena.”

"It's fine." I say, and allow Kara to pull me closer and place a soft kiss on my cheek that leaves a burning feeling. Maybe she meant it as a thank you or it's a normal thing for her to do, but I must admit it feels more than nice.

-

"Lena! Come here right now!" My dad's bellowing voice echoes throughout the entire house as I close the door behind me.

I sigh and decide to just face the drama. I walk into the living room where my parents are sitting on the couch. Wow they're both home for once.

My dad gives me a look while my mom silently stares at the floor. There's already an uncomfortable tension between us and we haven't even talked yet.

"Sit down." My dad says in the calm voice that he always uses when he's holding in his anger. I sit down stiffly, knowing that anything can set him off.

My mom looks at me with bloodshot eyes, like she's been crying for a while.

"Your dad and I..." She begins, but my dad stands up and immediately cuts her off.

"What the hell do you think you're doing, Lena?" His dangerously calm voice bellows through the house again, and it even scares my mom. We're used to my dad exploding sometimes but that doesn't make it less scary.

"I don't under-" The words haven't even left my mouth yet and my dad turns to me, his face turning red.

"What do you think you're doing?" He repeats, louder this time, and goosebumps spread over my body in the worst possible way.

"What am I supposed to be doing?" I ask and stand up too. I don't feel like getting yelled at and I want him to know that.

"When will you realize that you can’t put my career on the line with actions like this?" He starts. “How many times do I have to tell you that your little minion from across the street is bad news? What if I get fired because of this? Vince is in huge trouble with the school!”

My mom seems pretty shocked by his screaming, but I'm not. It no longer scares me. It just makes me angry.

"Did your precious boss tell you that?" It's my turn to scream, and while tears of disappointment stream down my cheeks, I also feel the blood rush to my face from pure anger.

"Lena, honey, please..."

"No, mom, I can't calm down! Maybe dad should calm down!" My dad wants to say something, or scream something rather, but I don't give him the chance. "And maybe dad should use his brain for once instead of following around his boss like a little lapdog! Is your job really more important than me?”

“Maybe it is!” He yells back, and my jaw drops in shock. His eyes widen a second later, as if he only just realized what he said. “Lena, I-“

"Lionel, just stop.” My mom stands up and tries to take me into her arms, but I step away and walk closer to my dad instead.

"It's nice to know that you choose your boss over your own daughter. In fact, it's nice to know that you even choose your boss's son over your own daughter. Vince, and all of his friends, beat up Kara while they made me watch. Vince treats me terribly and even slapped me twice, but I guess none of that matters to you as long as you get your promotion.”

My dad is still staring at me with wide eyes and he suddenly seems speechless.

"You're a pathetic excuse for a dad." With those words, I walk out of the room and storm upstairs.


	12. Speak Too Soon

Chapter 12

Tears pour down my cheeks and I grab the first pillow I can find to scream into it as all sorts of emotions flow through me. Anger, fear, disappointment, sadness.

How can my dad be so stupid? Why does he always choose Vince’s side over mine? I'm his child, aren't I? Not Vince.

With my face still buried in the pillow, I lower myself into the beanbag in the corner of my room and curl up into a ball. I still haven’t made sense of everything but right now, I'd give anything to be with a warm, sweet Kara who took out her IV just to be able to crawl into bed with me, instead of by myself in this cold room.

"Lena?” A soft voice pulls me from my thoughts and when I look up, I find my mom staring at me with tearful eyes. "I'm so sorry, honey. Dad's just stressed out."

She closes the door behind her and walks towards me, carefully sitting next to me and wrapping her arms around me.

"Why does he have to take it out on me? I didn't do anything wrong." I sniffle softly, and this time all I feel is pure sadness.

"Paul sent him home for a while because of the incident at school." She tells me, and my eyes widen.

"He got fired?" I squeak out in disbelief. Did he really get fired over Vince’s twisted story of what happened?

"Not fired, honey, he's just... taking a break."

In other words, on the verge of fired.

"I didn't do anything to Vince, mom. You have to believe me." I stammer softly, and she smiles gently before brushing the hair out of my face.

"I know that, Lena.”

"And Kara didn't do anything either! She was the one who got beat up. There's a reason why she's in the hospital while Vince is walking around without a single cut on his body!"

"Were you with her last night?" She asks, and I swallow before nodding. She'll find out anyway. "Honey, don’t take this the wrong way but you barely know this girl and the things she’s done.”

Something tells me that my parents are aware of Kara’s past. Paul is probably behind it. With his money and resources, it's not surprising.

"I do know her. She told me everything and she has changed, mom, she really has.”

My mom simply brushes the hair out of my face again before giving me another smile.

"I know you like her, Lena, and I don’t want you to think that I don’t support your happiness. But I just want you to be careful. Love makes you blind sometimes.”

I stand up, beginning to pace back and forth. At least my mom isn’t reacting as horribly to all this as my dad but she still has a wrongful view of Kara. I do know her. She has changed.

"She's a different person now. She's sweet and caring, and at least she doesn't hit me like Vince.”

My mom stares at me for a long time, and it's clear that she’s remorseful.

"I'm sorry, sweetheart. Like I said I just want you to be careful."

I nod and give her a small smile to reassure her, even though I know that I don't have to be careful around Kara. Kara will never hurt me the way Vince has.

-

I stare into the mirror and shift uncomfortably. The bruise on my cheek is still visible. I grab some foundation from my makeup bag and apply another layer to the discoloration.

Once I'm satisfied, I put a black beanie on my head and make sure that my hair falls along my face. I don't want people at school to stare at me. I don't feel like going to school at all.

"Lena, are you ready?" My mom appears in the door opening and I nod before grabbing my bag and following her downstairs. She's giving me a ride to school because it's raining.

I don't even look at my dad as I walk past him and quickly hurry into my mom's car. She takes a seat behind the wheel a second later and drives off.

It's already the middle of the week, Wednesday to be exact, and things at home aren't exactly fun right now. We barely speak, especially when my mom isn't there. Since my dad got fired, or sort of anyway, he's home all day so I'm not alone anymore. I hate being around him when he's always in a bad mood, and the worst part is that he keeps reminding me that I’m to blame for all this.

School isn't much better either. 

There are all sorts of rumors floating around about what happened between me, Kara, and Vince. Some believe that Vince got jealous over nothing, and others believe that Vince caught Kara and me doing God knows what in the janitor's closet.

Sam has stuck by my side the entire time, though, instead of hanging out with Nick, or Vince who's 'sick' at home. I guess he has to keep up the lie that Kara is the one who beat him up. How pathetic.

Unfortunately, there are a lot of students who believe him which isn't very surprising since half of them spend all their time kissing his ass.

It's still unclear who's getting suspended; Vince, Kara, me, or maybe all 3 of us. I talked to the principal and told him my side of the story but so far it’s still Vince’s word against ours and of course Vince’s friends are backing him up. 

I don't get it. The principal saw Vince and his friends running away and he saw Kara being taken away by the ambulance so isn't that enough for him to realize that we didn't do anything? I guess the school's board is just as idiotic as the rest of the school. Or maybe Paul bought them off.

My mom pulls up in front of the school and I smile at her before reluctantly getting out of the car. 

Another day of rumors.

I walk inside where I'm immediately stared at. Great.

"Do you see the mark on her cheek? I told you Kara hit her!" A girl whispers to her friend, and I look at them angrily. Idiots. Get a hobby.

"It must've hurt..."

"It looks so painful..."

"Are you okay?"

I hear some concerned voices, and when I look up I see Vince standing there surrounded by some girls. He has a bruise on his cheek that certainly wasn't there last Friday!

His eyes dart up and when he sees me, a grin forms on his face. It's only then that I see the bruise around his eye. Is he seriously faking injuries?

"Oh look who's there." The words leave his mouth in an arrogant way, and anger surges through me. The girls around him turn around and shoot me dirty looks.

My anger only gets worse and before I know it, I'm standing face to face with the biggest coward I've ever known.

"How could you?" 

Vince just stares at me. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, Lena.”

The entire hallway is silent and everyone's staring at me. I'm used to it by now but I still don't like it.

"What?" I snap, and everyone quickly turns away from me.

"Lena!” Someone comes rushing towards me and grabs me by the shoulders, shaking me excitedly. Sam.

"What is it?" I sigh tiredly, and she grins.

"Look at this." She presses a form into my hands, and I stare at it absent-mindedly for a while before realizing what it is. The nominations for prom king and prom queen. Oh god.

I begin to read the names and smile when I see Sam’s.

"Congrats Sam." I say, but she shakes her head and gestures to the form.

"Keep reading!" She tells me, and I look at her in surprise before doing as told. My eyes double in size when I see my own name. "We're both nominated!"

My brain needs a moment to register all that has happened. People were gossiping about, people stared at me, I got nominated for prom queen. All in less than 10 minutes.

"We have to pick out our dresses! Do you want to go shopping after school? I was thinking red... or maybe blue... blue would look good on you..." Sam keeps rambling but I don't hear her. Stunned, my eyes wander down to the nominees for prom king.

Vince Walker, Nick McCarthy, Mike Matthews, and...

Kara Danvers.

"Kara?" I exclaim, my anger returning. "Why is Kara nominated for king? Is this a joke?"

Sam seems confused and takes the form from me to take another look at it. Something inside of me tells me that this has to be a joke. 

Kara’s not very well liked at school; she gets bullied all the time. And prom king? I've heard of girls being nominated for king before but at their own request which I doubt is the case since Kara hates being the center of attention.

"Maybe... maybe a lot of girls think she's hot?" Sam suggests carefully, and I sigh because I just know that this is some kind of prank.

"This is quite a coincident, isn't it? Mike and half of Vince’s friends are in the student council who happens to choose the nominees!" I rage, and when I look at Vince, I see that he has also caught onto the fact that I saw the list. He's laughing loudly with his friends.

"You're pathetic." I tell him, and when his eyes meet mine, he falls quiet and quickly looks away. 

Coward.

"Let's just go to class." Sam grabs my arm and drags me with her.

-

"Lena!”

"Hm?"

"Wake up!"

Sam’s voice cuts through the fog in my mind and when I open my eyes, I see that everyone has already left the classroom. I guess I fell asleep. Exams are gonna be a great.

"Come on, we have a free period and it looks like you could use some coffee." She pulls me up and drags me through the hallways. I blink and suddenly I'm sitting in her car, still half asleep.

Sam drives off and a few minutes later, we're standing inside a small local coffeeshop. I go find a table in the corner while Sam gets us coffee. I fiddle with my hands a bit as I wait for her to join me with two steaming cups of caramel latte macchiatos. I take a sip and almost moan in delight. I really needed this.

"So, spill."

I look at her with wide eyes, raising my eyebrows to silently voice my confusion.

"What's the deal with you and Danvers?"

"What do you mean?" I decide to play stupid even though I know exactly what she's talking about.

"I know you made out and I know you spent the night with her at the hospital... Not the first time you stayed with her." She wiggles her eyebrows, and I laugh in spite of myself before quickly taking another sip of my coffee.

"First of all, her name is Kara. Second of all, nothing's going on between. Never has. Never will." Ouch. Obviously there is something going on between Kara and me, and denying that hurt more than expected.

"Are you sure? You crawled into her bed twice..." Well, technically that isn't entirely true because the second time Kara crawled into my bed. But I get her point.

"Why does it matter? And how do you even know I stayed at the hospital?"

Sam grins. "Your mom called me to ask me where you were so it wasn't hard to figure out. And it matters because I know something's up. You just don't want to tell me. Come on, Lena.”

I let out a sigh and stare at my coffee for a while. I don't know how to explain.

"I don't know." I reply, and Sam doesn't look happy.

"What do you mean you don't know? You went to visit her at the hospital, you cry over her, when you were fighting with your parents you went to her for comfort, you get mad about her getting bullied, and you kissed her. Seems pretty obvious, don't you think?"

When she sums it up like that, it does seem pretty obvious.

"I really don't know. I feel so many things for her but I don't know what exactly. I feel comfortable around her because I can be myself. She makes me feel safe and loved, and so much better than Vince ever did..."

As the words leave my mouth, a switch inside of me seems to turn on, and Sam seems to notice because she looks at me with a huge smile.

"It sounds like you're pretty in love.”

"I'm not in love." I say quickly, glancing away shyly.

”You just don’t know it yet." Sam grins, and suddenly, I feel that familiar warmth in my stomach again.

Maybe Sam’s right. Whenever I think of Kara, that strange but good feeling inside of me only seems to grow. Maybe I'm not in love yet, but with Sam’s words in the back of my mind, it's hard to deny what's happening.

I'm falling for Kara Danvers and there's nothing I can do to stop it.

-

I knock on the Danvers’ front door and only have to wait a few seconds before it swings open and I’m faced with Alex. She still hasn’t gone back to college and I wonder if she isn’t missing too many classes. She doesn’t seem too concerned though and I can’t blame her. Her sister getting beat up is probably higher on her priority list.

“Thank god you’re here.” She says with a look of relief. “Maybe you can convince Kara to get some damn rest.”

I look at her questioningly as she lets me in, patting Toby as he brushes his head against my leg. “What is she up to?”

“I have no idea but she was complaining about a headache earlier.” Alex says and I follow her into the kitchen. “Here’s some sandwiches mom made. Her and dad are out. Kara needs to eat and sleep. She never looks after herself."

“I'll take it to her." I reply to her rambling.

She nods gratefully and allows me to lift the tray that also has tea on it. It warms my heart to see how concerned she is about Kara, but at the same time it saddens me because it shows that these last few days haven't only been exhausting for Kara and me, but also for Kara’s family.

“Hey Lena?” Alex calls as I begin to walk towards the stairs. I turn and look at her. “How are things at school?”

“Well, Vince is back.”

Her jaw clenches angrily. “I still can’t believe they haven’t done anything to punish that rat. They say there’s not enough evidence to prove who started the fight, but my bet is his daddy threatened to sue them or something.”

“Yeah probably...” I’m just as angry as her about the whole thing but I can’t say I’m surprised. “It’s unfair.”

“God I want to punch him so bad.”

I smile a little at that. “I feel you but it would probably just make things worse.”

“Yeah I know.” She sighs. 

“When are you going back to college?”

“I’m going back Friday so I can catch up on homework over the weekend.” She replies and then her voice turns more seriously. “Promise me you’ll look after Kara when I’m gone? And also to call me if you need anything.” 

I look at her for a moment, and when I speak I mean my words. “I promise, Alex.”

Carefully balancing the tray in my hands, I carry it into Kara’s room. She's lying on her bed, playing with her phone.

"Alex said Eliza made you this food. Are you in pain?"

She startles at the sound of my voice and quickly puts her phone away. I didn’t even know she had a phone until we finally exchanged numbers in the hospital.

"Oh... Yeah, thanks. And no, I'm okay." She says awkwardly as I place the tray on her desk, and an uncomfortable silence falls over the room.

Maybe Kara’s also starting to notice that there's something going on between us. I mean, she probably is.

But, I was never nice to her before our project and being nice to her now doesn't make up for the way I used to treat her. I never stood up for her when she was being bullied and I still feel guilty about that every minute of every day. To make matters worse, she ended up in the hospital because of me. Maybe it's best if I go home and leave her alone.

I flash her a small smile and move to leave the room, but a warm hand on my wrist stops me.

"Don't go." She says in a whisper that sends a shiver down my spine. I turn to look at her and feel goosebumps spread over my body. "I'm not hungry and I've rested enough. I just want to spend some time with someone other than my parents and my sister... I love them but they are so worried and I don’t like that.... I’d rather talk about something else... with you."

She takes her hand off my wrist and averts her gaze to the floor. She wants me here and she still acts nervous around me... does that mean she also feels something between us?

Her eyes meet mine, and she looks so sad and lonely that I can't bring myself to leave.

With a soft sigh of confusion, I lower myself onto the bed next to her and rest my head on her shoulder before closing my eyes for a moment, enjoying the peace she brings me.

"You've changed, you know?" I whisper, and when I look up, I find her quietly staring out of the window.

She has changed. Since the fight, but especially since the moment she told me everything about her past. She's still that same quiet, shy Kara sometimes, but there's also something different about her.

"What do you mean?" She asks me, as the version of her that's afraid to change into someone she's been running from for so long. I just want her to be herself around me.

"I mean it in a positive way. You seem more sure of yourself."

She smiles softly but then quickly goes back to staring out of the window. I can tell that there's something bothering her but I don't want to ask.

"Are you looking forward to Friday?"

I look at her in shock. Why is she bringing up prom? Is she going to ask me to go with her? I hate school for having this Winter prom thing. I don't want to think about this yet. 

"No not really... I don't have a date." I try to pass on the hint as subtly as possible. Believe me, I wouldn't mind showing up at prom with Kara, whether people think she looks like a dork or not. I stopped caring about what other people think of me.

"So you're going alone?" She asks as she fiddles with her glasses.

I feel my whole body begin to buzz with excitement when I see a small smirk on her face. Is she really going to ask me?

"Maybe... Maybe I won't go at all." I say, trying to sound sad. She's going to ask me. I'm sure of it.

"But you got nominated." My brow furrows in confusion. How does she know about that? And if she knows about my nomination, does she also know about hers? Is that why she's being so quiet? And when is she finally going to ask me? She smiles sadly when she sees the look on my face. "They made sure I didn't miss anything and dropped off the form here yesterday. Jeremiah gave it to me."

My stomach drops, and a feeling of sympathy mixes itself with the guilt that's still weighing heavily on my heart. The look of hurt on Kara’s face just makes everything worse.

"I'm sorry, Kara. I didn't know or I would've done something."

She smiles and looks down at her lap as she plays with her fingers, while I begin to feel anxious. How can she always be so calm? I don't get it.

"Yeah..." She mumbles with a shrug, not looking up, and anger bubbles up inside of me.

"How can you always be so goddamn calm?" I jump up, and Kara stares at me with wide eyes. My sudden outburst probably scared her just as much as it scared myself. "You don't care about them teasing you! You don't care about Vince beating you up! You don't care about anything!"

I don't know where my anger is coming from. Maybe it's the fact that Kara never stands up for herself even though I know she can. She used to fight all the time. Maybe it are all my confusing feelings for her. Or maybe I'm just disappointed because I got my hopes up that she would ask me to prom but she didn't.

"I think it's best if I go. Let me know when you start caring about something." Without looking at Kara, I storm out of the room, down the stairs, and out of the house.

I ignore my dad's calls when I walk into my own house and quickly sprint into my room, slamming the door shut behind me.

What the hell is wrong with me? 

Why did I have to act like such a bitch just when things were going well between Kara and me? I gained her trust and now I had to ruin everything with my arrogant and self-centered behavior.

I brush my hand through my hair while blinking in frustration, and when my vision clears, I see that there's a beautiful dress laid out for me on the bed. I couldn't care less about prom. I care about prom as much as Kara cares about being bullied. Not at all.

I throw the dress off my bed and sit down on it with my head in my hands. The last couple of days were so confusing... The situation with Kara, Vince, my parents... It stressed me out and I took out my emotions on Kara. She didn't deserve that.

The doorbell rings and when I hear my dad call out my name, I roll my eyes and stand up to head downstairs.

"Lena! Open the door!" The doorbell and my dad's yelling blend together and I have to stop myself from screaming out in irritation.

I yank the door open but to my surprise, nobody's there. I sigh, figuring that it were annoying kids trying to be funny, and am just about to close the door when I feel something blow against my leg. I look down with a disinterested expression, assuming it's just a leaf or something, but my brow furrows when I see an envelope.

I kneel down and as I lift the envelope, my eyes fall on something red that's lying beside it. A beautiful rose.

I pick it up with shaking fingers while my other hand grasps the envelope, before slowly standing back up. What is this?

I close the door and lean against it, staring at the envelope in disbelief before carefully opening it. I pull out a small piece of paper that has a few lines written on it in a slightly messy handwriting.

I hold my breath as I begin to read.

_Dear Lena,_  
_You deserve to be treated like a princess because you are one. Allow me to prove that to you this Friday, as your date... as yours?_  
_X_


End file.
